E nga rau rangatira mā, e huihui mai nei I tenei wa, tēnei aku mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora tātou katoa.
I specifically acknowledge:
- Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
- Bernadette Cavanagh, MFAT Deputy Secretary, Pacific and Development Group, and
- Peter Rudd, Peter Glensaw, and Heidi Coetzee from the Council for International Development
A warm Government House welcome to you all. This evening’s dinner celebrates a significant milestone for the Council for International Development, and acknowledges your legacy after forty years of dedicated service and collaboration.
It is my privilege to be Patron of the Council, as well as several of your member organisations: the Fred Hollows Foundation NZ; the United Nations Association of New Zealand; Volunteer Service Abroad; Save the Children; and UN Women.
I appreciate the role the Council plays in helping Aotearoa New Zealand meet our responsibilities in the international development sphere. You create space and platforms for the voices of people who may not otherwise have their voice heard, while also enabling the sector to speak with a collective voice when it is beneficial to do so.
A whakatauki sums up the Council’s approach;
Ki te kotahi te kakaho ka whati, ki te kapuia e kore e whati "A reed standing alone breaks easily, but gathered together, they will not break”.
Your collaboration – with each other, with governments, civil society, the private sector and communities delivers results.
During times of crisis, it must be invaluable to have NGO people on the ground, providing insights about what is truly needed in affected areas – as well as the Council’s convening role, which helps New Zealand respond with urgency and to assist those most in need.
It must be very gratifying to see NGO expertise and knowledge shared, and resulting in cross-country learning – such as when ADRA brought local staff from Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Myanmar together to discuss their experiences and share innovative farming practices.
The professional training opportunities provided by the Council, along with its code of conduct, affirm and reinforce a principled and consistent approach to development work.
I appreciate the ethical and responsible use of AI will be a hot topic for you all, and the Council is to be commended for running a workshop for members on this.
All Council members are working to change people’s lives for the better through a broad range of programmes – whether it be addressing climate change impacts, supporting health and education interventions – or ensuring access to clean drinking water and sanitation infrastructure.
As a former Children’s Commissioner, I was particularly pleased to learn about UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand’s efforts to improve the health of children in Kiribati, supported by MFAT’s Partnering for Impact programme. Providing schools in Kiribati with clean water and toilets, along with soap, drinking bottles, dental hygiene kits and menstrual hygiene kits can be life-changing for these children.
It is gratifying to know that your support reaches groups who struggle to be able to access resources or services, including women and girls, people living with disabilities, and young people.
In these challenging and uncertain times, the demands on your services will undoubtedly increase, and the support of the Council and its advocacy for NGOs and the people you work for, will be even more vital.
In all that you do, I hope you will be inspired by the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead, who famously declared: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’
My sincere thanks to Peter Rudd, along with the team at the Council – past and present – for representing a significant group of thoughtful, committed organisations that are working to uphold human dignity and build a more just, sustainable and resilient world.
I appreciate the role you all play in representing Aotearoa New Zealand on the world stage, through your contributions to our nation’s humanitarian efforts and your partnership in development initiatives.
The Council’s work in advocacy, capacity-building and collaboration will continue to be crucially important for New Zealand and for all those you support. I wish you all the very best in the years ahead.
Tonight is your night – so please enjoy the company of your colleagues and the manaakitanga of the House.
Kia ora, kia kaha, huihui tātou katoa.