Speech
Reception for Meat and Wool New Zealand
Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, CookIsland, Niue and Tokelau.
Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni
May I then specifically greet you the Hon Phil Goff, Minister for Trade Negotiations and Trade; Hon David Carter Opposition spokesperson on Agriculture, Member of Parliament, Colin King; British High Commissioner, George Fergusson and Margaret Fergusson; Ambassadors and High Commissioners from other countries, you Chairman New Zealand Meat Board, Jeff Grant; Chairman Meat Industry Association, Bill Falconer; Distinguished Guests otherwise both international and local, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Welcome to Government House. It is a matter of great pleasure for my wife Susan and I to have your assembled company this evening to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first shipment of frozen meat from New Zealand to an offshore market.
We celebrate many firsts in this country, but that which we are celebrating tonight is a first that helped shape New Zealand.
That first shipment of frozen meat, which reached its destination 98 days after embarkation, was a hugely important first step towards establishing our country's sheep and beef export industry. I have been so interested to read again, whilst preparing for this evening, things that I had not read, since School Journal days - of the slaughtering facilities being built at Totara in North Otago, the overland transport of the carcasses by rail to Port Chalmers and loading of the cargo aboard the Dunedin in February 1882. All this was done (and indeed the voyage which followed resulting in only one carcass not being acceptable for sale at Smithfield) occurred under novel conditions which put much investment capital at risk.
My preparation has also brought back to me as a student who in the early 1960s did three seasons at Westfield - one in the fellmongery and two in the rail-in team from chain to freezer, memories of the florid sights, sounds and smells of that kind of freezing works.
A main purpose of tonight's occasion to recognise the impact which the new innovation had on our economy, and as well as to recognise the two agricultural pioneers, William Soltau Davidson and Thomas Brydone, who initiated that shipment.
Their innovation in exporting frozen meat set a precedent for others in the years that followed. New Zealand is a nation of adapters and innovators. Nowhere is this more apparent than in agriculture where New Zealand-led items, such as the electric fence, have changed the way people farm in many parts of the world.
William Davidson and Thomas Brydone typified the courage and innovation of early New Zealanders. It is gratifying that their work is being acknowledged 125 years later.
The first frozen shipment of meat was an economic milestone for New Zealand.
For many years, the export earnings generated from agriculture provided our primary income.
Our ability to export meat not only provided us with a dependable income but also gave us an international presence. The face New Zealand presented to the rest of the world was very much connected to the high-quality produce the country became famous for producing.
This was a source of national pride.
A by-product of this was the earliest development of what can in today's world be called 'brand New Zealand'. Our country's reputation for quality of agriculture and agricultural produce helped influence would-be immigrants tempted by the lifestyle New Zealand might offer.
This was critically important at a time when the population needed considerable growth.
Today, meat and meat products remain a major and growing component of our export earnings, last year earning more than $4billion. Agriculture remains a defining part of our national identity.
As much as we continue to gain an international reputation for excellence in a variety of fields, from technology and science to arts, we cannot ignore the considerable weight of our agricultural industry.
Over the last 16 years, the contribution agriculture makes to our economy has increased by 98 percent, while the rest of the economy has grown at 51 percent. In 2005-2006, total export receipts from meat products exceeded the $4billion mark.
It is clear that New Zealand's future still lies in agriculture. This makes it even more important that we recognise the work of our agricultural pioneers who helped establish our small country as an agricultural leader.
I therefore wish everyone all the best for the William Davidson 125 Conference over the next two days.
I began speaking in all the New Zealand realm languages. May I close by speaking in Maori issuing greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours.
No reira, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha tena koutou katoa.