Diplomatic Reception

May 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 afternoon [sign].

May I then specifically greet you: Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps; representatives from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Distinguished guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen. 

It is with great pleasure that my wife Susan and I welcome you all to Government House Vogel in Lower Hutt for this reception for the Diplomatic Corps.  

I particularly wish to welcome to the Capital those people who have travelled to Wellington for this occasion.

I would like to take an opportunity to speak a little of the importance of the work of the Diplomatic Corps and of its significance for New Zealand. 

At the outset, however, I would like to acknowledge the service of two prominent diplomats who both died 18 days ago on 15 November.

The first was Her Excellency the Ambassador of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, Annelies Boogaerdt, who passed away unexpectedly in Wellington.  Given the long-standing ties between our two countries, and the significant number of Dutch diaspora that calls New Zealand home, her death will be widely felt.  I fondly recall joking with her when she presented her credentials in August last year that she would be not only the Ambassador for the Netherlands, but also the “Mayor” of the Dutch community in New Zealand during her time.

The second was New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, His Excellency Tia Barrett, who died in Auckland after having fallen ill in Rarotonga.  In a lengthy diplomatic career, Mr Barrett served New Zealand as High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands to Vanuatu, New Caledonia and later as High Commissioner to Fiji.  He also spent time as Official Secretary at Government House for my predecessor.  Susan and I had known Tia and Theresa as friends for some time and it was a privilege to be asked to give a reading at the memorial service for him at Old St Paul’s earlier this week.

Both Ms Boogaerdt and Mr Barrett are sorely missed.  Their service, however, reflected the increasingly complex work of a diplomat in the 21st Century. 

There was a time when such work focused primarily on facilitating relationships between the governments of nations.  That work, including overseeing involvement in major bilateral and multilateral trade and defence relationships, and visits by Heads of State and Heads of Government remains a fundamental part of the job description.  

The work of a diplomat increasingly revolves, however, around facilitating relationships between the peoples of the relevant nations.  Those people-to-people links include development of educational, scientific, cultural, sporting and professional exchanges as well as supporting a host of business and trade connections. 

I am particularly conscious that the diplomatic corps thus makes an important contribution to New Zealand life, and particularly to that of this capital city, Wellington.  I know that many of your missions have strong links with the community, including various programmes in our universities, polytechnics and schools.  In addition, fundraising events to support various charities, to which diplomats have contributed, have always been well received locally.

New Zealand values the work of the diplomatic corps.  Due to our country’s geographical isolation, far removed from the world’s major centres, and its relative small population, we are a faraway minnow on the world stage.  As the former New Zealand Prime Minister, David Lange, once famously said, emphasising this: “New Zealand is a dagger pointed at the heart of Antarctica.”

But while New Zealand’s immediate security concerns may be small, our wider security concerns are huge.   As a nation whose economic livelihood is utterly dependent on trade with markets thousands of miles away, it is equally dependent on the international relationships it maintains.   This is a key reason for New Zealand maintaining a global network of some 50 overseas posts with formal accreditations to 120 countries and to many international organisations.

As a member of the United Nations since its founding, New Zealand has been a continuing supporter of multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of disputes between nations.   New Zealand’s commitment to the principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is more than enlightened self-interest, however.  New Zealand has never shied away from taking a principled stand on issues and many New Zealanders lie buried far from home having fought to repel aggression and to defend democratic values.

Maintaining those relationships is about working with others overseas.  It is also about working with foreign representatives based or accredited here.  For these and many other reasons, New Zealand places a high value on its relationships with the diplomatic and consular corps.

As the personal representative of the Queen of New Zealand, I place a high value on maintaining a relationship, collectively and individually, with the diplomatic corps.  As of mid-November, of the more than 90 Heads of Diplomatic Missions accredited to New Zealand, I have had the honour to accept the credentials or have welcomed to this country all but 19 at ceremonies here or at Government House Auckland or the currently closed Government House in Wellington.  It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to do so.

In conclusion, I wish to reiterate the importance of the work of the Diplomatic Corps to Wellington, to New Zealand and to me and my wife Susan.   I welcome you to Government House Vogel and I trust you will enjoy our hospitality this afternoon.

And on that note, I will close in New Zealand’s first language 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.