Speech
Black Sticks Beijing Olympics Farewell
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 evening [sign]
May I specifically greet you: Graham Child, chair of Hockey NZ; Chris Maister, president of Hockey NZ; Ramesh Patel, Chief Executive of Hockey NZ; Louissa Wall, Member of Parliament; Ryan Archibald, Black Sticks Men's captain - and team; and Lizzie Igasan, Black Sticks Women's captain - and team; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I am delighted to be with you this evening - and in particular to have this opportunity of wishing New Zealand's two hockey teams all the best for success in the Olympic Games.
Hockey is a sport at which New Zealanders have excelled in in previous Olympic - and Commonwealth - Games. For that reason, the attention of our country will be firmly pinned on the Black Sticks teams in Beijing.
We all remember with great pride the Gold Medal of the 1976 Montreal Olympics. And we might also remember that before those Games, our team may not have been expected even to make the finals.
As far as the Australians were concerned, the team's success was a surprise even on the day that New Zealand played them in the final. It is a mark of their sportsmanship that the Australian team turned up in the New Zealand changing room after the match to share the champagne they had been expecting to be toasting themselves with!
The performance of the women's team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney was also memorable. Memorable indeed in fact - because in the match with Spain, which denied the team a place in the semi final, the score was still level with only about 20 seconds to go.
I would like to congratulate the women's team on their recent draw with China and the two comfortable wins over Spain.
It is clear that both the men's and the women's teams are full of experienced and dedicated players - something I was able to see at first hand when attending one of the qualifying tournament matches in February. I was impressed by the skill, strength and strategy so evident in the play.
Hockey is one of the sports I have followed as a spectator since boyhood in Auckland. It seems to me that one of the hallmarks of hockey contributions is longevity. For example, there is the fact of Barry and Selwyn Maister, Jeff Archibald, Arthur Parkin and Ramesh Patel having been selected four times for New Zealand Olympic teams.
When it is considered that only 24 New Zealanders have been selected for more than three Olympic Games and five of them being hockey players, this shows how impressively this sport stacks up in any comparison.
I would like to pay tribute to all those involved in New Zealand Hockey - the administrators, the sponsors, the coaches - and in particular the team members of yesterday and today - whose hard work, dedication and vision have built the foundation for such an enduringly successful sport - one of which New Zealanders are properly very proud.
I wish both the Black Sticks teams the best of luck in their training matches and with the fierce international competition they will face in Beijing.
My wife Susan and I are in the fortunate position of being able to attend the Olympics Games. So we look forward to seeing you there.
John Davies, who won the 1500m bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and later became president of the New Zealand Olympic Committee once said: "A medal's fine, but it's only a souvenir. It's what you learn from the Olympics that is most important."
This is undoubtedly true. But, may I respectfully add that, on the other hand, a medal is always most gratifying!
And on that note I would like to close by offering you all greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours in New Zealand's first language - Maori:
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.