Speech
Alison McAlpine Health and Fitness Centre Opening
May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.
Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the afternoon (Sign)
May I specifically greet you: Judy Fanselow, Chair of the Board of Trustees; Alison McAlpine, Principal; Bill Rainey, former Chair of the Trustees; Your Worship Kerry Marshall, Mayor of Nelson; Hon Maryan Street, Minister for ACC and Minister of Housing; Hon Dr Nick Smith, MP for Nelson; Ladies and Gentlemen; Nelson College for Girls alumni and students.
Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and myself to attend the opening of your new Health and Fitness Centre as a part of your 125th Jubilee Celebrations.
As Governor-General, I have been asked to open the Jubilee festivities and to officially open this new facility, but before I do, I would like to speak briefly as to the significance of the anniversary the School is celebrating.
Given that it is only 168 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, that your School has reached 125 years of age, is a remarkable feat. You are, for example, the same age as the University of Auckland, the alma mater of your first principal Kate Edger, the first woman in New Zealand, and the second in the British Empire, to graduate with a University degree.
When Kate Edger was a teenager, there were no secondary schools for girls in Auckland. She and her sisters were largely taught by her father, who later gained permission for her to study with the top class of boys in what was known as the Auckland College and Grammar School.
That experience obviously had a profound influence on her. While the boys at Auckland Grammar may have been courteous to her, it was clear she believed young women were just as entitled to a secondary education as young men. Beryl Hughes, who wrote the entry on Kate Edger in The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, speaks of a spirit that continues to pervade the School to this day, and I quote:
"Although she had to carry on her work in unsatisfactory buildings, Kate Edger and her excellent staff worked extremely hard. She committed herself to establishing a school which could provide a first-class education for girls."
And, from all that I have learned, a "first-class education for girls" is just what students at Nelson College for Girls continue to receive. As evidenced by this fantastic new health and fitness facility, the "unsatisfactory buildings" phase has long since passed. And from reading the glowing 2006 assessment by Education Review Office, the School continues to be blessed by excellent staff that remain committed to the highest educational standards.
One of those staff is principal Alison McAlpine, who I am advised is retiring at the end of this term after 18 years' service at the School. Alison is a stalwart of the Nelson community, having been awarded made a member of the Queen Service Order and having been elected to the City Council.
Alison, the trustees and her senior management team, recognise that schooling is not just about building healthy minds, but also healthy bodies and have pushed for the construction of this health and fitness centre.
The more than $3 million project, backed by the Ministry of Education, school funds, sponsorship and community donations, including an $80,000 grant from the Canterbury Community Trust, have ensured the School now has this amazing new centre. The space accommodates two full-sized netball or basketball courts or eight badminton courts. It also includes a fully equipped weights room, changing facilities, seminar and teaching rooms, and a viewing area for spectators.
To everyone involved may I add the words—well done and congratulations. And particularly given her outstanding service, it is with pleasure that I am able to announce from this moment that this facility is to be henceforth known as the Alison McAlpine Health and Fitness Centre. I believe the plaque I am about to unveil does not include Alison's name as the trustees decided they wanted to keep it a secret from you.
And on that note, I will close in New Zealand's first language Maori, by offering greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.
As Governor-General then, it is with pleasure that I first open the Nelson College for Girls 125th Jubilee Celebrations, and secondly that, with even greater pleasure, I declare the Alison McAlpine Health and Fitness Centre officially open.