Kua hinga te totara I te wao nui a Tane
Today, in celebrating the life of Dame Cath Tizard, we must acknowledge her as a much-loved matriarch, who treasured her family and close friendships in her life.
For a little over five years, Dame Cath was Governor-General of Aotearoa New Zealand – and it is my great privilege to briefly reflect on that time in her life.
Dame Cath said that every Governor-General leaves their own stamp on the role.
To understand how she saw her contribution, we can look at her coat-of-arms at Government House.
I refer here to the carving of “a cat amongst the pigeons”, which suggests the challenges she faced as the first woman to be appointed as Governor-General in Aotearoa – and indicates she wasn’t afraid to question tradition or introduce new ways of doing things.
Dame Cath brought a well-established public profile to the role, along with her characteristic vigour and strong sense of public service.
Unlike previous Governors-General, Dame Cath took on the roles and responsibilities without the support and counsel of a spouse – and in forging a path for the women who were to follow her – Dame Silvia Cartwright, Dame Patsy Reddy and me – she also applied a pragmatic, feminist lens to her engagements.
Dame Cath declined membership of certain gentlemen’s clubs – a privilege afforded automatically to Governors-General – until that privilege could be extended to other women.
She queried why, at investiture ceremonies, the accolade with the sword was granted to Knights but not to Dames. Needless to say, she didn’t win that battle – thus far!
However, investiture ceremonies were enlivened by her encouragement of waiata from the guests of honours’ recipients.
During her term, the first female Aide-de-Camp was appointed, and Dame Cath initiated the cultural challenge in credentials ceremonies. Ambassadors frequently tell me how much they value that privilege.
Dame Cath gently discouraged what she saw as excessive formalities, including bowing and curtseying.
At the same time, she very much valued the opportunity to – and I quote “proclaim the mana, spirit and ideals of Aotearoa”.
Like Sir Paul Reeves before her, she seized opportunities to raise awareness and confront complacency – with the goal of encouraging New Zealanders to “pull together” and make things better.
She summed up this approach when she said: “Let us not expect Government – or local authorities – or community organisations – or iwi – to carry the whole burden. They cannot do so. They should not be expected to do so…Let us make the first gesture towards the neglected, toward those who have been set aside and towards our neighbour of a different colour”.
It's a message of personal and social responsibility that we do well to heed today.
In her efforts to bridge divides, Dame Cath sought to act as a positive, unifying force for good.
She saw the Governor-General role as a symbol of nationhood, as a link between individual citizens, and as their representative on significant public occasions, here and overseas.
Dame Cath enjoyed interacting with people from all walks of life, especially the unsung heroes in our communities.
On occasion she could raise eyebrows with her choice of engagements, such as sky-diving for charity, opening a sewage treatment plant, and opening a Wet Pants Conference for the New Zealand Continence Association.
She wasn’t at all daunted by the prospect of hosting visiting Royalty, including Queen Elizabeth and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.
However, she admitted to being awe-struck by Nelson Mandela, and she counted it as an enormous privilege to have him as a house guest at Government House.
Through her previous background in the political realm, Dame Cath had a keen appreciation of the significance of her constitutional duties.
She noted the continuity provided by a Governor-General after a General Election, and saw herself as the person who “passes the parcel” in what she referred to as “the proper transfer of power”.
Dame Cath’s term of office was three decades ago, and although much has changed, many of the debates and issues of that time are still with us. Her successors have built on her legacy, upholding the values she espoused for the role – though I imagine no-one will ever do so with the same combination of plain-speaking, wit, and verve as that displayed by Dame Cath.
I am pleased circumstances have now allowed us to gather and duly honour Dame Cath’s extraordinary life of public service.
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.