2006 ProPlan National Dog Show

Ladies and Gentlemen I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand.

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

In particular may I recognise and greet you, Mr John Perfect, President of the New Zealand Kennel Club; You likewise, Members of the Executive Council and Life Members; Judges in all disciplines of the National Dog Show; Participants, including those from the Young Kennel Club; Your manager Community Relations, Philip Lyth, ladies and gentlemen.  Un Saluda cordialmente de bienvenida Senor Rafael de Santiago.

It is a delight to be here today, as Patron of the New Zealand Kennel Club, to present the Best in Show award at the 2006 ProPlan National Dog Show.  I am pleased to say "Patron" and to say that this is one of the first patronages accepted in my new office and in these circumstances.  I have in my hand a letter dated 3 April 2006 which was in my letterbox in Kelburn Wellington when I went to uplift the morning newspaper to read of the announcement of my appointment as Governor General.  Somehow your indefatigable Manager Community Relations Philip Lyth had been up so early he had had time to write sign and deliver it by 7 00am.  But then again as a Ministerial secretary in the Beehive in his last occupation he had earned an enviable reputation as a "can do" person.

I recognise that I am the first Governor General for a very long time in New Zealand, not to be the owner of a household dog. My immediate predecessor and friend Dame Silvia as many here will know, was proud friend and feeder to two small and lively Boston Terriers called Thelma and Louise. Thelma in particular had quite a following - indeed with her own spot on the official Governor-General website as "VID" - Very Important Dog.

Whilst I do not have any personal dog, I do have a recent memorable dog anecdote in that on 11 July, just 11 weeks ago as part of the well worn path of Governors General taking up their new office it was my privilege to be asked to have lunch with Her Majesty the Queen.  What transpired was a truly memorable occasion during which we were received as graciously as one could imagine by Her Majesty and Prince Philip.  What was not bargained for was that the lunch would not only be attended by my wife Susan and I, but by seven corgis.  No fewer than seven wonderfully exuberant although well behaved Welsh Pembroke corgis raced in an out and rolled around on the floor - and in accordance with accepted practice were rewarded with a water cracker biscuit by Her Majesty as we rose from lunch.

Dogs, as exhibited on that day, can be wonderful fun and they can make an enormous contribution to our quality of life.

I learned recently of the pet therapy service which promotes positive interaction between animals and people in rest homes and hospitals and of how rooms which used to be set aside as spaces for people to smoke are now places for patients to meet animals and particularly dogs.

Groups of people are looking to bring animals, including dogs, together with children from difficult backgrounds to help develop trust and empathy.

I know also that there are other people around the country also working hard to promote positive interaction and understanding with people who may not have known a dog before.

These kinds of initiatives, may I say it, are just marvellous. They demonstrate that dogs have as much to give as we have to gain.

Children in particular have a huge amount to gain from good relationships with dogs. I am sure those Young Kennel Club members here today would have a great deal to teach us all about what we can learn from dogs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your participation in the National Dog Show this weekend has been, I am advised, a milestone for the Show and is a real celebration of the bond between young person and dog.

Dogs are of course much more than pets in the New Zealand way of life. They are in and with our Defence Force and in the Police, they help find people who are lost, they help blind people see and deaf people hear. They appear frequently as heroes in our folklore and many people has had reason to love a dog at some point in their lives.

In this way, dogs can be kind of citizens of New Zealand and this is what the New Zealand Kennel Club, and by extension, the National Dog Show celebrates. Indeed, the notion of dogs and their owners as good citizens has been formalised through the Canine Good Citizen Scheme.

This is a very positive initiative, helping to promote responsible dog ownership in New Zealand. I offer congratulations for this innovative scheme.

This weekend has seen some of the most beautifully behaved, obedient, agile and high quality dogs in the country. The winners can be proud to call themselves Best of Breed, and they set a model for the rest of New Zealand to follow.  There is a new book in the shopsthe Reed Book of New Zealand quotations which has been given to me by an old judicial friend and I cannot help quoting from it - a piece of contemporary New Zealand Prose by writer Jon Morgan

"She has found more than 130 words for dog - among them bonnet finder (a hunting dog that sits on a ute's bonnet and sniffs for pigs)  backdoor pensioner ( a retired working dog) 10 oclock dog (for one that won't work during the heat of the day) hot chopper (sheep worrier) tripehound (one of the least obscene forms of abuse) sundowner (lazy) sooner( lazy as in sooner lie down) and shingle scratcher (all fuss and no work).  None of those terms could properly apply to the candidates of this afternoon and the last three days, I am sure.

I understand we are now to present awards to your top achievers, before moving on to judge and award the Best in Show. 

Signor  de Santiago -Aqui estan los mejores perros de Nueva Zelandia.

No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora koutou katoa