Auckland Anniversary Day Garden Reception

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

Thank you for taking time from your holiday weekend, to join in this celebration of Auckland Anniversary Day at Government House Auckland -the day when it is said that Auckland - as an entity of that name - is officially 167 years old.

It is a particular thrill for Susan and I to recognise the fine response that so many of you have been able to make, to our invitation to this garden reception.

As people born and raised in Auckland, who have spent much of our adult lives here, it is, you will all recognise, momentous for us to be here wearing the jersey as Governor-General and spouse.

Auckland is an extraordinary city - dynamic, diverse and exciting.  It is mostly warm and quite often sunny. And with the more-than generous rainfall, there are lush and healthy gardens such as the historic one that is here for you to enjoy today.

So much has changed in this city since the founding day - Friday 18 September 1840 - when someone who can be described as my predecessor in office, a 48 year old Royal Navy captain - Lieutenant Governor William Hobson - officially declared Auckland, to be New Zealand's capital.

It has since grown to be now home to more than one million New Zealanders, boasting a multitude of ethnicities. It is a city that celebrates its Maori and European heritage, whilst also enjoying the here and now.

Importantly, Auckland connotes a bright and colourful future with every opportunity to be a leader in our country's multicultural future by embracing diversity and demonstrating inclusion.

In spending nearly half of the Governor General community time here, since starting in August, I have had occasion to have it confirmed, as a result of many different encounters, that Auckland's many present communities are drawn from all over.  The beginning of the third millennium is an exciting time to be in Auckland.

While the make-up of this city might have changed over the years, there is one Auckland trait that has changed very little - if at all that being affinity with the sea - with its harbours, its mangroves, its sailors, waterways and beaches to underline that.

I feel certain the forefathers of Auckland would not be displeased to know that many fondly refer to Auckland as "the City of Sails" which is apt, given the genesis of New Zealand's second capital.

Sailing characterised the celebrations of Auckland's first-ever official day. On 18 September, 1840, an impromptu three-race sailing event took place after representatives of Hobson rowed ashore and took formal possession of the site in the name of Queen Victoria.

There is a reference to the events thereafter in The New Zealand Advertiser and Bay of Islands Gazette of 24 September 1840 which said the official party rowed back to their barque, the Anna Watson, and then:

After partaking of luncheon, a regatta took place between a five-oared gig belonging to the Surveyor-General and a six-oared gig belonging to the Anna Watson, both pulled excellent style by amateurs. This was followed by a match for a purse of five pounds between two whale-boats pulled by sailors, and by another between two large canoes paddled by natives.

Ironically, it was this event - which later became the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta  - which ultimately saw the official anniversary date moved back to January - an entirely more pleasant day to hold a sailing event, for sailors and supporters alike.

It is clear then, that sailing has played an important part in Auckland's development. And when the impact the America's Cup has had on Auckland, more recently, is considered, that aspect continues. And there is something going for the notion that the Cup may return to this city in the very near future.

The city's relationship with the sea defines Aucklanders in many ways. It has gone on to help shape the city's business heart and culture, and it influences community, family and professional lives. The presence of the Royal New Zealand Navy, based in Devonport, and the country's largest port, also illustrate this close affinity.

All of this is predictably better put in poetry and I offer in that regard a stanza from Merimeri Pinfold's poem "Tamaki-makau-rau" "Tamaki of a Hundred Lovers", translated by Margaret Orbell.

"Strangers come, settle like godwits on the landing place! 
It is Tamaki-makau-rau!
They land at Waitemata, mountMaungawhau,
They alight at Manukau, mountMaungarei!
The forest of Tane falls,
The marae of the new men lie here!"

Please enjoy yourselves everyone and thank you for coming.

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