E nga rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui mai nei I tenei wā, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. He mihi nui ki a koutou ngā rangatahi i tēnei rā.
Nau mai, haere mai ra ki Te Whare o te Kawana Tinara o Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
I would like to begin by specifically acknowledging: Ken Hames, Board Chair, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award; Emma Brown, Chief Executive, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award; Emily Fabling, Board Member, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award; Councillor Gabriel Tupou, Board Member, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award; Alexander Hillary, Sir Edmund Hillary’s grandson; Guy Pascoe, Chief Executive, Independent Schools of NZ; Long Service Award recipients: Andy Woodhouse, Mark Chapman, and Rosemary Gibson
Tēnā koutou katoa.
Finally, and most importantly, I would also like to acknowledge the recipients of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Gold Award, and your families, who have gathered here today for this very special occasion.
Today represents the culmination of many years of dedication, tenacity and commitment to bettering yourselves and the lives of those around you. You have completed each task set out for you with great care and determination, and I hope you felt immense pride as you received your award earlier in the ceremony.
When my predecessor, Sir Bernard Fergusson presented the first gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards in 1965 to nine eager young men and women right here at Government House, he offered some shrewd advice, saying: ‘Let this go to your hearts and not to your heads.’
Though you have gained a great deal of new skills and expertise through this Award, I hope you will also carry with you the heart of those experiences - a sense of wonder for the natural world, the friendships formed, and the deep feeling of satisfaction through serving others.
It was American poet William Carlos Williams who said ‘The only way to be truly happy is to make others happy. When you realise that and take advantage of the fact, everything is made perfect.’
There is perhaps nobody who embodies these ideals better than Sir Edmund Hillary, for whom the Award was renamed to honour in 2009. Sir Ed dared to think beyond the realms of possibility and used his success to give back to those who had aided him in his pursuits.
I am heartened to see so many young people still taking up the challenge posed by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award. Know that your sense of adventure, pursuit of excellence, and commitment to the betterment of yourself and others is stronger for having completed the Award.
Congratulations, once again, on this very special achievement. I wish you all the very best for the future and implore you to keep hold of those values of hard work, camaraderie and appreciation for the natural world as you go.
Kia kaha, kia manawanui, kia ora huihui tātou katoa.