National Values in a Diverse New Zealand

E nga mana, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

The Hon Margaret Austin (Chair, NZ National Commission for UNESCO)

Mary Klaver (Deputy Sec of NZ National Commission for UNESCO)

Jenny Earl (President of NZ Principals' Federation)

Pat Lynch (Chair of the summit organising committee)

Amanda Coulston (NZEI President)

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

I was honoured and delighted to be asked to open this important conference - National Values - A Summit about Learning to Be, Learning to Live Together.

You have chosen a topic that concerns every New Zealander today - and I applaud you for contributing to an issue that demands serious and urgent attention. I share your concerns about youth violence in this country, and the need for communities to look within for causes and remedies.

During this summit, you will look closely at what can be done in neighbourhoods and schools to help young people learn to treat others with basic respect and dignity - the fundamental framework for a non-violent society.  Again, I applaud your endeavour.

Today I would like to touch on the issue of national values within the context of the diversity of New Zealand society in 2002. How does the multi-cultural make up of our country impact on the way we treat each other? How well do we understand the cultural and religious differences between our citizens? And how do we reconcile our pursuit of human rights for all with our desire for racial and religious tolerance?

Recently we heard a news item concerning the boycott by some countries of the Miss World competition, due to be held in Nigeria. The boycott was taking place because an Islamic Court there had confirmed the sentence of death by stoning for a young woman accused of adultery.

Our own young Miss New Zealand was unexpectedly caught in the crossfire, and faced media questions about whether she, too, would give up her place in the pageant in the wider interests of human rights.

The news item raised many moral and social issues, but one clear point was highlighted - we, as New Zealanders, can no longer hide behind our geographic isolation as an excuse for avoiding global human rights issues.

And whether or not we attend beauty pageants in far-off countries, our society is changing so rapidly that the issues are coming to us anyway.

On Waitangi Day this year, I reflected on the patchwork quilt that is the history of this country. It is a quilt set against two predominant cultures - Maori and British - but today it is interwoven with rich, intricate cultural threads from around the globe.

Last year's census confirms what we see when we walk down city streets - the fastest growing ethnic groups in this country include Korean, Arab, Croat, Iraqi, South African and Russian.

There are more Asian people than Pacific people, and there have been huge increases of between 50 and 75 percent in people following the non-Christian religions of Hindu, Buddhist, Islam and Spiritualism.

562,000 of us speak more than one language - that's 20 percent more people than five years earlier.

We can honestly say, in 2002, that the caricature of the typical Kiwi is fading from the screen. The challenge for us today is to recognise and accept this fact, and then start teaching our young people that difference is exciting, not threatening.

Our values programmes in schools must be based not on assumptions of uniformity of religious belief, but on generic qualities of equality, kindness and compassion. These qualities will endure change in the make up of New Zealand society, and will form the cornerstones of a non-violent nation in the future.

We must, most importantly, ensure that the fundamentals of democracy - human rights for all and freedom of expression - are embedded strongly in the psyche of our youth.

Those efforts will equip young people to balance the need for religious and cultural tolerance against the right of every man, woman and child to have a full education, safe home and good health.

As you work through your programme today, I would ask you to think constantly about the growing diversity of New Zealand society when dealing with issues of youth violence and national values. You are working on a landscape of moving sand - the challenge will be to ensure the values you plant can survive the changing environment.

I declare this summit open. Kia ora koutou katoa.