Diversity Action Awards

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 the evening (Sign)

May I specifically greet you: Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Rosslyn Noonan; Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres; Your Worship Kerry Prendergast, Mayor of Wellington;  Rosemary du Plessis, representing the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO; Chairman of the Wellington Regional Jewish Council, David Zwartz; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen. 

It has been with pleasure that my wife Susan and I have accepted your invitation to attend this gathering to mark the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Te Ngira: The New Zealand Diversity Action Programme.

I have been asked to present this year's Diversity Action Awards, and just before I do, I would like to speak about the ongoing importance of this organisation and what it does in fostering harmonious relations between New Zealand's increasingly diverse people.

A good starting point is the name Te Ngira - meaning needle in Maori - the item that prods each of us and the community to acknowledge others and the efforts they make in our overall interests.

There was good reason for this initiative to commence because of some hugely regrettable events in 2004 which gained significant publicity both here and overseas, that of attacks on Jewish headstones and the burning of a prayer house at Wellington's Makara Cemetery in 2004.  If the perpetrators of these crimes had thought their actions were going to unleash racist recriminations, they were quite wrong.  New Zealanders from many walks of life responded.  Parliamentarians joined with other community leaders and petition writers.  Responses came not just in words, but in concrete deeds, and in particular there is good reason to record with some pride the actions of unnamed people, many of them young, who connected with those like the authors James and Helen McNeish, Maori leader Sir Ngatata Love, Mayor Dame Sukhi Turner and school principal Roger Moses who joined leading political and religious figures such as The Speaker, Rauhi Lawrence, in promoting what has later become the Diversity Action Programme that encompasses 250 organisations - and for which (Joris de Bres) the organisation you lead has had such a crucial and admirable role.

A second symbol which makes the Diversity Action Programme acknowledged by so many is its logo - the special fern which has the readily New Zealand symbol of the silver fern but on to which have been grafted other aspects of our country - the kowhaiwhai pattern from Ngati Porou, the fleur de lys design from Europe, the Samoan tapa figures, the Chinese charactering meaning "longevity" and Indian paisley shapes.  If these were not sufficient there are elements also of Vietnamese and Iranian motifs and it is all connected with baby fronds which symbolise new growth.

All of this underpins a country where people's different efforts are being better recognised and supported in our country than before.  Women take more leading roles in public and professional life today compared with previously.  Likewise there is increasing involvement of those living with disabilities and much work continues to remove remaining barriers in the way of full participation in society.

Another litmus test of growing diversity in action is provided by the result of last year's General Election.  About a quarter of our 122 MPs, now of nine months; standing, are of Māori, Pacific or Asian descent and five are Ministers. 

Thirty years prior to now in the 1978 Election, just seven of the 92 MPs were of Māori descent-one of whom was a Minister-and there were no MPs of Pacific or Asian ancestry at all.  Indeed with the exception of four MPs, they were all men.  So our Parliament is not only a House of Representatives but a House that increasingly can be said to represent New Zealand's ethnic and cultural diversity.  A survey of maiden addresses by the new Members of Parliament, on many sides, offers great hope for our country's future governance.

And according to forecasts by Statistics New Zealand, the pace of change is unlikely to slacken with our nation being even more ethnically diverse in 20 years time.

A main characteristic of the Diversity Action Programme is the array of initiatives involved at national, regional, community and even neighbourhood levels.   Groups that were once set apart have reached out to each other in common purpose.  The host of activities have promoted human rights regardless of differences, and have fostered tolerance and understanding between many New Zealanders. 

The focus on these goals and wide community involvement are its major strengths.   There the high-level gatherings, such the National Interfaith Forum, but also grassroots community initiatives that involve New Zealanders of different ages, cultures, religions and ethnic groups.

In a number of settings, in public, since being appointed Governor-General in August 2006, I have urged New Zealanders to confront the challenges of our nation's growing diversity and embrace them as opportunities.  Laws and policy statements are important but they are only part of the answer and attitudes don't change overnight.

Real change in attitude occurs when people meet and discuss everyday concerns.  It is through those types of interactions that we come to better understand those who may initially seem so different from us.  Indeed, I suspect real cross-cultural communication occurs when it is almost incidental to the conversation rather than being its major focus. 

Without wanting to let any cats out of bags, one thing that seemed to connect many of those groups to receive awards shortly, was their efforts to connect not just organisations, but also individuals, and helping making those new to this land feel more at home.  As symbolised in the diversity fern, they give real meaning to the ten steps to strengthen our nation's cultural diversity that were the result of the first forum in 2004.

It is because of this work that I am remain optimistic about our country's future and its growing diversity.   There would be some who might say that as Governor-General my wife Susan and I naturally see New Zealand and New Zealanders at their best. 

That may be true, and I remain confident that drawing on New Zealanders' inherently tolerant approach to life and others that we will succeed where so many others have faltered.  As the Patrons of many organisations and in conferring various prizes and awards, we have seen a host of work being undertaken to make our nation a better place.  A point was well-made some 10 years ago by the then United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, who described New Zealand as a "country that works."  He added:

"The world is not all conflict and poverty.   Some nations, more fortunate than others in their history and geography, go about their business quietly yet effectively-not without problems but with solid frameworks of law and trained personnel to deal with those problems.  New Zealand is one such place."

And on a note which offers congratulations and anticipation of more achievement by the Diversity Action Programme, I will close in New Zealand's first language Māori, 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.