Rotary Havelock North

I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island Rarotongan Maori, Niuean and Tokelauan.

Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni.

I then offer specific greetings to you, Your Worship the  Mayor of Hastings District Council, Lawrence Yule and Anthea Yule; Club President Michael Konig and Sandy Konig; Former Judge of the New Zealand High Court and respected jurist, Sir Rodney Gallen; Chair of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Eileen von Dadelszen; Chair of the HBS Building Society, Elizabeth Carr, Rotary District 9930 Governor, Ron Finn, Bruce Gilmour President Hawkes Bay Law Society, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for the invitation to my wife Susan and I to be here tonight. It is a great pleasure to be here.  Anything I might say is of course overborne and in the shadow of the tragedy of which we have both learned in the past two days.  Let me first add our sadness and respects about what has happened and what is involved.

The news made me think of an unexpected crisis that my wife Susan and I faced early in July 2002 when driving southbound on State Highway 1 near Warkworth when a vehicle coming in the opposite direction suddenly crossed the centre line and we had a head on collision leading with both downsides and upsides.

The downsides were injuries - causing a 3 month period in hospital or at home me with a broken C2 vertebra, Susan with broken collarbone wrist and ribs, me having to wear a halo traction jacket like a derrick around my head for three months.

The upsides were many - the injuries were treatable, the hospital system in Auckland and Wellington worked well for us and we recovered.  There was something to do with being a member of Rotary that was a distinct part of the upside.  Until then I

had been a member of the Wellington Rotary for something like 6 or 7 years with a connection ranging between the vague and moderate, and with not much of an epiphany for the organisation, as opposed to simply enjoying the reasonably regular meetings and excellent speakers.

The accident however soon brought out another characteristic of Rotary membership, namely that in the wake of a crisis there is a caring resource available to offer assistance should that be necessary.

As it happened, we did not need any material help but time and again the concern and willingness to assist was registered in a number of ways that created a debt that will be payable for along way into the future.

It is that characteristic of looking out for others that is an abiding legacy of the organisation although we may be a long long way from the city of Chicago where in February 1905, Paul Harris and three colleagues dined together at a restaurant and decided to form an organisation, which has led to the current international grouping.

I don't know what you people did to celebrate the Rotary centenary just two years ago because there were many and various ways of doing this.

As it happened I could not go to the celebration organised by my Club which had a formal dinner on 25 February 2005 - a Friday.  I was however available on the actual day 23 February.  What I did, a little to the surprise of the archivist at Rotary Headquarters in the United States was to ask by email where did Mr Harris, Mr Shiel and his colleagues go and eat on 23 February 1905 and what did they eat.  Back came the response that they had eaten in an Italian restaurant called Madame Galli's in Dearborn Street Chicago, although it was not known what they consumed.  So on 23 February 2005 having identified three other members who also couldn't attend the big event, we all went off to Nicolinis Italian Restaurant in Courtenay Place, Wellington for a wonderful meal when each of us talked about how we related to our Club and what it had done for us and what we had found best in it.

Out of this comes the matter of engagement which a Rotary Club provides for its membership and the capacity to look out for those of its membership who may be in need of assistance.

In the New Zealand of the past 20 years, we have seen membership of community organisations  such as service clubs and church communities and political parties, to name three examples, wane.

I offer the observation that the challenge for Clubs like yours is to remain relevant and promising for new members especially among the young - and to recognise that the future may require consideration of new and different organisations.

An example is the Citizens Advice Bureau - a fine made in New Zealand organisation which operates in so many parts of our country.  The first one in New Zealand started in AucklandCity in 1973 and has spread subsequently.  Another is Senior Net, the organisation for computer users and another again are School Boards of Trustees whose work involves thousands of New Zealanders.

I next want to speak of what a privilege my appointment as Governor- General has afforded already in six months, to visit so many wonderful places in New Zealand and to be the instrument that recognises or affirms people doing well or doing their best in so many ways.  Today has been in the chemistry of sunny HawkesBay visiting a retirement home, an award winning pottery premises, a vibrant secondary school.  Tomorrow it will be with DOC programmes interacting with primary schools, the next day with business organisations, speaking at the National Justices of the Peace conference and so it goes on.

From the majestic Te Mata Peak, to bustling CapeKidnappers, the beautifully manicured wineries, and the distinctive Art Deco architecture, you live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country which has so much to offer both locals and visitors.

That is one of the reasons I have been interested to learn of the Rotary Pathways Project, because one of the best ways to familiarise yourself with a new environment, or to best appreciate the place you call home, is on foot.

Creating recreational walkways and cycle-ways will encourage locals and visitors alike to explore your beautiful region.

There are few better ways to spend time with friends and family, or to give tourists a taste of the region and teach children about nature than by exploring New Zealand's wonderful natural playgrounds on foot.

Requiring what I understand is a 10-year commitment by Rotary, the project is no mean feat. Your commitment and dedication to a project which will benefit so many is cause for pride.

You are contributing to a legacy which generations of New Zealanders and overseas visitors will enjoy, and an experience which will become part of their memories of the region.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you for your tireless vision and commitment to the Rotary Pathways Project.

This project is just one example of what can be achieved when people work together. Rotary projects all over the world are other examples of what can be achieved collectively.

The following Maori proverb emphasises the benefits of working together:

All of this is not easy because our daily lives are becoming more and more complicated, and the demands on each of us are increasing. The world's focus is shifting towards globalisation, and international boundaries are becoming more virtual.

As a result, individuals are increasingly at risk of losing touch with their immediate communities. This poses a real challenge to Rotary and to other community-based organisations to maintain and grow their membership.

The challenge to Rotary and to all community organisations today is as I have foreshadowed to stay relevant to New Zealand and New Zealanders in 2007 and beyond.

This means remaining always open to change. It means challenging the status quo. It means finding ways of contributing to the communities of which Rotary is part , in a meaningful way.

Your organisation can boast of an admirable range of successful international and local projects, from tackling literacy and poverty to providing medication, to aiding youth to the Pathways Project.

May I (albeit shadowed and muted by this week's tragic event) offer best wishes for you to meet Rotary's challenge for the future; that is  maintaining its momentum to keep people engaged and to continuing to  do both ordinary and  truly great things in our community.

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, tena koutou kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa