Speech
Children's Day
Kia ora! Hello! Girls and boys, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends and whanau.
Thank you for coming to Government House in Wellington for this fun day to celebrate Children's Day 2008. It's great to see so many bright faces.
It's a great pleasure for myself, as Patron of Children's Day, and for my husband, Anand Satyanand who is the Governor-General, to welcome you to these magnificent grounds for Children's Day 2008.
The theme of this year's Children's Day is "new experiences." As the Patron of Children's Day I wanted to help make this fun day special for the children of Wellington by inviting you to visit these much admired gardens of Government House.
This big House behind me was built in 1910. That's almost 100 years ago so it's older than me and probably older than everyone here today.
Nineteen representatives of Kings and Queens have lived here. When our Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, has visited New Zealand she has stayed here.
If you turn around, you will see the two big trees standing either side at the end of the lawn. Those blue atlas cedar trees were planted by the Queen and Prince Philip in 1954 as a part of her coronation tour. Near the tree on the left, in the garden, is a totara tree planted by the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, in 1981. Many of the trees around have been planted by important people and there are plaques acknowledging them, the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atarangikaahu, for instance.
As a mother of three children, who are now adults, and as a former teacher, I enjoy events where I can spend time with young people.
Children's Day is about you, Kiwi children. Just like we have Mother's Day and Father's Day to celebrate how special our parents are, Children's Day is a time for families to celebrate how special you are. It's a time for you to have fun with your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters.
But it is also a time for adults to think about what is important for children. Enjoying yourself with your children and others is important for social education.
I want to thank the organisers of Children's Day for all their hard work. Together with the marvellous team here at Government House, they have put on a treat for you today. I hope you enjoy it all.
Remember to treat all the children of our wonderful country as special today.
This is Children's Day, let's play!