Visit to Te Papapa School

May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in 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 morning and the sun has risen (Sign).

May I specifically greet you: Judy Innis, Principal of Te Papapa School and your staff; Boys and Girls; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and me to visit Te Papapa School today.  Given there are many people here today from other nations in the Pacific and India I add the greetings: Talofa lava; Malo e lelei, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kam na mauri, Talofa and Namaste.

I understand that in the first term you looked at leadership and in the second term you're looking at kiwiana, so I will talk about my role as a Governor-General—as a Kiwi Leader.

I will first tell you a little about myself.  As you can tell, I am of Indian origin. My grandparents were born in India and moved to Fiji.  My parents—my father was a doctor and my mother a nurse—were born in Fiji and moved to New Zealand where I was born.

So like many of you, I am the child of migrants, people who left their home to find a new life in another country.  My wife Susan is also a migrant.  She was born in Australia and moved to New Zealand with her parents as a child.  Both Susan and I grew up in Auckland—in Susan's case in Mt Eden and in my case, in Ponsonby and  Glen Innes.

After going to school, I went to the University of Auckland and from 1970 to 1982 I worked as a lawyer.  In 1982, I was appointed as a judge and in 1995 as an ombudsman, a job I held until 2005. In 2006, I was appointed Governor-General.

When travelling through New Zealand, I am often asked to explain my role.  To do so, I need to provide an explanation of how our system of government works.

I am sure you may know already that New Zealand is a Monarchy, which means that our formal Head of State is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  Because Her Majesty lives in London, she needs someone based in New Zealand to represent her.  That person is the Governor-General who is called upon to function in that role for a five-year term.

'Representing' calls for standing in for The Queen when there are things to be done that The Queen might do.  People sometimes say that The Queen reigns while the government rules and that is a good phrase to bear in mind about how the country works.  New Zealand is a democracy which means that the people of New Zealand elect the Members of Parliament (or MPs).  The Prime Minister is the MP able to lead Parliament because of having the support of more than half of the Members present in it.  That side, which is what is called 'the Majority', forms the Government.

The first part of the role is a legal one.  When the Government in Parliament passes laws by voting in favour of a new law, those laws need to be signed in the name of The Queen in order to become part of the law of the country.  The Governor-General gives assent for the laws and needs to be sure the laws have been properly passed.  The Governor-General also signs other important documents appointing people to be Judges, Diplomats and Heads of Government Ministries and Departments.  All of this is called the Governor-General's constitutional role. 

The second part of the role is ceremonial. This means that the Governor-General represents the country at public ceremonies such as the opening of a new session of Parliament, the welcoming of visiting Heads of State and attending commemorations of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day.  When people are honoured at the New Year and then Queen's Birthday the Governor-General then gives them the medal they have been awarded at a ceremony.

The third part of the role is to do with leadership for the community.  This means visiting people and places throughout New Zealand opening buildings, attending celebrations and seeing things that people have done well.  This last aspect, the community role, is the part of my job that keeps both myself and my wife the busiest. It involves travelling all around New Zealand visiting schools, launching appeals opening functions, and attending special events. It is also that part of the job which brings me in touch with so many New Zealanders, both young and old.

I hope that this has helped explain to you what the Governor-General does in the course of a working day and a working week.

The role of Governor-General has evolved as New Zealand has evolved into an independent nation. 

New Zealand's Governors-General were once British Lords or retired military officers.  Since 1967, all Governors-General have been born in New Zealand and they have come from a variety of backgrounds. 

Including myself, four have been former judges, one was a mayor, another a Prime Minister, one an archbishop, one was a diplomat and another a doctor - a surgeon.  One of those Governors-General was Maori and two were women, while I have both Asian and Pacific ancestry. 

These changes show how New Zealand has changed and is changing.  Our country is becoming increasingly diverse, with people of many different cultures, religions and ethnicities living here.

Those changes can also be seen in the symbols of our nation.  You may have heard in the media, that I have a new flag, which was flying on my car was I arrived today.  I supported the change because the old flag, with a Lion sitting on a Crown, lacked any distinctive New Zealand elements.  The new flag, with the Shield of the New Zealand Coat of Arms in the centre, speaks more of New Zealand.

I trust then, I have given you a brief insight into my job. You may have some questions, I would be happy to answer them but before I do, I will close using New Zealand's first language, Maori, 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.