Bledisloe Reception

For photos at this event, please click here.  

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.  Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the afternoon (Sign)

I then specifically greet you: Rt Hon John Key, Prime Minister; Hon Phil Goff, Leader of the Opposition; Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias, Chief Justice; Ministers of the Crown, Judges and Members of Parliament, Your Excellency Pedro Herrera, Ambassador for the Argentine Republic to New Zealand, and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, and your fellow diplomatic colleagues; Rear Admiral Tony Parr, Chief of Navy; Distinguished Guests from central and local government, from our country's Māori, Pasifika, military, church, and many other communities; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for accepting the invitation from my wife Susan and I to attend this Bledisloe Reception on the eve of 171st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

This gathering is traditionally an opportunity to acknowledge the generous gift to New Zealand of the Treaty House and grounds in 1932 by our predecessors in office: Lord Charles Bledisloe and his wife, Lady Elaine Bledisloe.

Two years later, after the dilapidated Treaty House had been refurbished, the first Waitangi Day celebrations were held.  They were attended by more than 10,000 people.  At that first celebration, Lord Bledisloe also laid the foundation stone of the nearby Whare Runanga.

The Bledisloe’s legacy to New Zealand, however, goes much further than the physical gift of the Treaty grounds, significant as that gift remains.  They also donated many trophies and made many special gifts.  In addition to the famous Bledisloe Cup, which continues to mark trans-Tasman rugby rivalry, they gave the Ahuwhenua Trophy for excellence in Māori farming and the “other” Bledisloe Cup, the horticultural industry’s premier award.  There was also an award for GirlGuides, a medal for inter-university oratory competition, as well as a new Black Rod for Parliament.

These are just a few of the larger, reported donations.  In the heart of the Great Depression, he forewent salary and after the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake visited the area, basing their party in their railway carriage for several days, supporting people as aftershocks continued to strike.

He also gave many speeches on a variety of issues, including the Treaty of Waitangi and, as a farmer, the use of science to improve New Zealand’s agricultural and horticultural produce and to encourage forestry. Long before a number of others, he prophesied that New Zealand’s native flora and fauna would be a major attraction for tourists.

Bledisloe also spoke about the Treaty and its significance.  Despite being a British aristocrat, Lord Bledisloe developed an understanding deeper than many Pākehā of the value of Māori art, language, heritage, culture and of the connection of tangata whenua with land.

The Bledisloe legacy then speaks to an ongoing need to honour New Zealand’s history and to protect its heritage.  It also speaks of partnership between Pākehā and Māori and emphasises the importance of symbols, be they buildings, land or trophies, as a focus for reconciliation, discussion and competition.  The legacy also underscores the importance of philanthropy, of service to the community, and encouragement of agriculture and sport.

The Bledisloes fell in love with New Zealand.  In the preface to the publication of his speeches to mark the centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, he described his tenure as the “five happy years of my residence beneath the Southern Cross.”

Despite being written as the clouds of war gathered over Europe, the preface spoke with much optimism for New Zealand’s prospects.  Bledisloe confidently believed New Zealand faced, and I quote: “a new era of national progress, [that] will strengthen the determination of its people to maintain its pristine virility, create fresh incentives to individual enterprise, and augment that inherent strength which flows from the mutual confidence of its loyal inhabitants, wherever they may reside and to whatever section of the body politic they may belong.”

Seventy-six years after his term ended, what might the Bledisloes make of New Zealand if they were alive today? 

New Zealand can say it has one of the more efficient agricultural and horticultural industries in the world.  With a strong emphasis on research and development, New Zealanders harvest some of the highest quality produce.  Our country is the world’s largest exporter of dairy products, accounting for more than a third of global trade in dairy produce.  Likewise, New Zealanders continue to establish businesses marked by innovative products.

Sporting prowess continues to be hallmark of New Zealanders, in rugby union, but also netball, hockey, rugby league and cricket to name a few.  New Zealand’s medals tally at Olympic and Commonwealth Games exceeds that which might be expected from a country with a relatively small population.

The “mutual confidence” of which Bledisloe spoke continues to be a defining characteristic of being a New Zealander.  Whether in good times or bad, New Zealanders are quick to volunteer to help others.  That generosity of spirit was most strikingly seen in the aftermath of last year’s Canterbury Earthquake, with neighbours helping neighbours, volunteers lining up to provide assistance of every kind, and support in donations flooding in from throughout New Zealand. 

We have also come to recognise the value of our native flora and fauna and our historic heritage, working assiduously to protect it.  That inheritance includes not only our built heritage, but also our cultural heritage as represented in all forms of art and literature as well as in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori.

Finally, we have also collectively sought to look again at our past, and address the wrongs that were committed.  New Zealand is all the stronger for having the courage to attempt to reconcile its past with its present, and to make some amends.

The Treaty of Waitangi, which Bledisloe saw as a “Magna Carta” for Māori, has ceased to be a “simple nullity,” as the courts described it in the 19th Century.  It is now rightly seen as a founding document of government in this country and, more widely, as a living document whose underlying principles of partnership continue to speak to us to this day.

Despite the global economic uncertainties that continue to swirl around us, Bledisloe would, I suggest, have been significantly impressed by all that New Zealanders have achieved together in this beautiful land.  It is a record in many spheres in which we can all take pride.

This kind of point was well made by noted anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond in a speech here at Waitangi in 2008.  Looking forward to 2040 and the bicentenary of the signing of the Treaty she said:

“[W]e should bless our ancestors for their curiosity and courage, and recall the dreams that brought them across a wild ocean—of freedom, autonomy, opportunity and prosperity for their children and grandchildren.  As they have taught us, in a new land, anything is possible.”

And on that note I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, by offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.