Speech
Nelson YMCA Y-Kids facility 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 morning and the sun has risen ..... [sign]
May I specifically greet you: Bernard Downey, President of the Nelson YMCA; Hon Maryan Street, Minister of Housing and for ACC; Hon Dr Nick Smith, Member of Parliament for Nelson; Your Worship Kerry Marshall, Mayor of Nelson; Distinguished Guests; ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls.
Thank you for extending an invitation to me and my wife Susan to attend the opening of the new Nelson Y-Kids Learning Centre.
As Patron of the YMCA, I have been asked to officially open this new facility, but before I do I would like to briefly comment on significance and role of the YMCA.
For more than a century and a half, the YMCA has taken a leading role in helping young New Zealanders find their feet - and standing tall.
The Nelson YMCA began in 1860, which means that it will have its 150th birthday in just two years time.
The YMCA in New Zealand has adapted over the years to meet the needs of the communities it serves.
In the beginning it provided meeting groups for young men. Today it is the biggest provider of Out of School Care and Recreation in the country, and one of the biggest private training establishments. It plays both these roles in the Nelson community.
While the YMCA has adapted as times have changed, it has always kept its core values—of honesty, caring, respect and responsibility.
These are values that will never be outdated.
The makeup of the people in our society is changing. We are becoming a much more diverse society.
The last Census showed that 23 per cent of New Zealanders were born overseas - and the list of the countries they were born in is a very long one.
I believe that there are children in this Early Learning Centre whose parents have come from Pacific, Asian, African and European countries - as well as those whose parents are New Zealand-born Maori and Pakeha.
It is important that whatever our backgrounds are, we are all able to be New Zealanders and 'be ourselves' - that while being part of the New Zealand culture, we are also able to express our own various identities.
In this, the end of Te Wiki Te Reo Maori, Maori Language Week, it seems appropriate to refer to the Maori saying that speaks to this issue of identity and community:
'Ko tou reo, ko tuku reo te tuakiri tangata
Tihei uriuri, tihei nakonako':
Which translates as:'Your voice and my voice are expressions of identity; May our descendents live on and our hopes be fulfilled.'
I believe that our nation's growing diversity—in culture, ethnicity, religion and personal and family relationships—is enriching our society and economy.
But this also poses challenges. Being ourselves and being able to get on well together: this is one of the major challenges for everyone in our society.
A key to addressing this challenge will be to working together, which the YMCA has successfully done with this centre.
For centres like this one, the challenge is to provide a place where children can grow - where they are safe, where they are cared for, and where they are nourished.
In the YMCA philosophy, there is an equal emphasis on nourishing the body, the mind and the spirit.
We in New Zealand regard children as a taonga. That is to say, they are 'a prized treasure'.
I hope that all the children who attend this centre will have a happy, healthy learning experience here - and that they will also enjoy themselves and make great friends.
As former Waikato University Vice-Chancellor Professor Bryan Gould once said: "Everyone should have a New Zealand childhood".
And on that heartening 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.