Waitangi day Speech 2014

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga manu tioriori, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.  Rau rangatira mā, e hui nei ki te Whare Kāwana o Te Whanganui-a-Tara – nau mai, haere mai, te Whakanui i te rā o Te Tiriti o Waitangi.  To those in authority, to our distinguished orators and to our great women, I offer my greetings and salutations.  Distinguished guests gathered here at Government House in Wellington, welcome to the celebrations to mark the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.  Kia ora tātou katoa. 

I want to specifically acknowledge: the Hon Gerry Brownlee, Minister of the Crown and Mayor of Wellington, Celia Wade-Brown– tēnā koutou katoa.

It is a great pleasure for Janine and me to welcome you all to Government House in Wellington for this garden reception to celebrate the 174th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and to mark the contribution of our predecessors, Lord Charles Bledisloe and his wife, Lady Elaine Bledisloe, who gifted the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to New Zealand in 1932.

It is perhaps a supreme irony that the Waitangi Treaty Grounds – which now figure so strongly in New Zealanders’ sense of nationhood and understanding of our history – were secured for posterity by English aristocrats who had never visited our shores until Lord Bledisloe became Governor-General in 1930.  The Government of the day had dragged its heels on numerous requests for it to buy the land and former British residence when it came up for sale. 

New Zealanders will forever be indebted to the Bledisloes for their generous gift.  We are indebted to them for their inspiration and passion and enthusiasm for our country.  The awards and gifts they established to recognise excellence – including the Bledisloe Cup that marks Trans-Tasman rugby rivalry – continue to figure in our national discourse.  And we are also indebted to them for helping us to recognise the importance of our history and our heritage, and the relevance of an event and a document signed 174 years ago.

The prayer that Lord Bledisloe composed provided his interpretation of William Hobson’s words; “He iwi tahi tātou – We are now one people”.  This entailed ending the strife and bloodshed between Māori and Pākehā, and working in partnership for a better future.  And, the sacred compact made should be faithfully and honourably upheld for all time.  Māori and Pākehā had their motives for signing the Treaty – Te Tiriti – including creating a safe environment, because New Zealand was regarded as a lawless place before the signing of the Treaty.  The arrival of Europeans – whalers, traders, escaped convicts and others – had seen dubious land sales and violent disputes fuelled by alcohol and firearms.  Kororāreka in the Bay of Islands had an international reputation as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific.”

In an infamous incident, British mariner, John Stewart, captain of the brig Elizabeth, aided a massacre of Ngāi Tahu by Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha at Akaroa in 1830.  In return for a load of flax, Stewart lured Te Maiharanui, a Ngāi Tahu chief, and his family on board his ship where they were captured by Te Rauparaha and his warriors.  At least 100 Ngāi Tahu were slain and others became slaves. Despite the outrage with which the news of the atrocity was received in Sydney and London, Stewart and his crew escaped punishment because his crime had occurred outside British territory.

While the Treaty established a framework for government and settlement of New Zealand, Māori and Pākehā had many motives for choosing to build a relationship together.  For many they were seeking that most fundamental of human needs – hope for a future where they and their families could prosper and live in peace.

As we know, the Treaty of Waitangi did not bring peace to New Zealand.  Misunderstandings and disagreements as to the meaning of the Treaty’s three clauses saw many wrongs committed, lives lost and lands confiscated in its name, while the document itself was treated with little more than contempt.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Ōrākau at Kihikihi, in 1864, which brought the Waikato Wars to an end.  We will also mark the Battle of Gate Pā in Tauranga.  The former was a great loss for Māori, the latter a great loss for British forces.  It is said that when the desperate defenders of Ōrākau Pā were offered the chance to surrender Rewi Maniapoto, their leader, replied: “E hoa, ka whawhai tonu mātou, Āke! Āke! Āke!  Friend, we will fight on forever, forever and forever!”

The battles were savage engagements with tragic loss of life on all sides.  Equally as tragic was the subsequent confiscation of land, denying iwi of an economic base and making them tenants in their own land.  The wars cast a long shadow over relations between Māori and the Crown that we continue to wrestle with to this day.  One hundred and fifty years after these two historic battles, a concerted effort is being made to recognise the wrongs of the past, to make some amends, and to ensure the Treaty receives rightful recognition. I will be attending commemorative events later this year to mark both battles. 

Despite the enmity the land wars engendered between Māori and the Crown, 50 years after these two epic battles, many Māori fought alongside Pākehā in the First World War, in the Native Contingent and later the Māori Pioneer Battalion. 

This year in August we mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.  Dubbed the Great War and the war to end all wars, it was meant to usher in a period of peace.  Instead of peace, however, it unleashed a series of bloody conflicts that enveloped the first half of the 20th Century.

And 21 years after the end of the First World War, when war broke out again in 1939, Māori and Pākehā – New Zealanders - again fought alongside each other to resist tyranny and an evil and racist totalitarian ideology.  All New Zealanders recall with pride the gallant exploits of the 28 (Māori) Battalion in North Africa and Italy.  As their commander, and my predecessor as Governor-General, Sir Bernard Freyberg, once said: “No infantry battalion had a more distinguished record, or saw more fighting, or, alas, had such heavy casualties as the Māori Battalion.”

Sir Apirana Ngata, who was instrumental in the creation of the Battalion, described Māori participation in the war, and the subsequent heavy casualties, as “the price of citizenship.”  It symbolised Māori aspirations to be a full partner in our country and for recognition of the Treaty.

The price of citizenship has a wider meaning, and it was one that was paid by all New Zealanders.  As a nation we fought to defend our country, our way of life and our democratic principles and civil and political rights. On a personal level, many served also because they wanted peace.  They wanted peace for themselves and they wanted peace so their families – their wives, husbands, children and grandchildren – could live and prosper.  Thousands paid the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of that cherished goal.

And in seeking peace and security for their own children and families, we have a proud record of work as peacekeepers.  New Zealanders have, and continue to serve, throughout the world attempting to bring stability to troubled lands, so that others may taste the fruits of peace that we have long enjoyed.  And as service in Afghanistan and elsewhere has shown, the pursuit of that goal has not been without its human costs.

The reference to citizenship brings me to my last point.  Earlier today, we hosted a citizenship ceremony in which 17 new New Zealanders took the oath or affirmation of allegiance to our Head of State, the Queen of New Zealand, that they will abide by New Zealand’s laws and to fulfil their duties as citizens.

This is the fourth time we have hosted a citizenship ceremony at Government House, and each time I have been impressed by the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, ages, knowledge and experiences they bring to our wonderful country.

While all new citizens swear the oath or affirmation individually, some were joined by other members of their family; husbands, wives, partners and children who also became citizens at the same time.    This, in my view, is in the spirit of those who signed the Treaty of Waitangi and everyone who has settled before and since that time. 

Whether you or your ancestors came to New Zealand by waka a thousand years ago, by a sailing ship 200 years ago, by steamer 100 years ago, or by aeroplane 10 years ago, they came seeking a land of opportunity where they and their families could live in peace.

As the last habitable place on the planet to be discovered by humanity, New Zealand is a land of immigrants.  As New Zealand historian, the late Dr Michael King, once said: “In a country inhabited for a mere one thousand years, everybody is an immigrant or a descendent of an immigrant.”

And on that note, as we celebrate Waitangi Day—our national day—we celebrate all of the things that are right with our country, and welcome into the fold our newest New Zealand citizens.  Also, we recall the contribution of all those New Zealanders, who have made our country good and great.  Kia ora, kia kaha, kia manawanui, huihui tātou katoa.