Governor-General’s Dinner

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E ngā Rangatira Māngai o Aotearoa, Kei tēnei hui Taumāhekeheke o te Ao, Aku mihi māhana ki a koutou, Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.

Distinguished representatives from New Zealand, at this Olympic Games gathering, I extend warm greetings to you.  Good health and my compliments also to all of us who are gathered here.

I specifically acknowledge: the President of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, Mike Stanley; Chef de Mission, Davie Currie; Barry Maister and Barbara Kendall, New Zealand members of the International Olympic Committee; Tayla Young, the young Olympic envoy who has brought the New Zealand flag from New Zealand; and Your Excellency Derek Leask, New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

On behalf of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, my wife Janine and I welcome you all to this Governor-General’s Dinner.  It is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the 185 Olympians who will represent New Zealand at the 30th Olympic Games. 

I want to congratulate the NZOC for putting this superb event together.  This venue, the magnificent Banqueting Hall, is a fitting place to celebrate New Zealand’s presence at the 30th Olympiad.  The place has a touch of history, style and prestige, which complements the theme tonight - best of New Zealand - the best in our sport, the best in our entertainment and the best in our food and wine. 

It is an understatement to say that tonight is a special event.  It is special that we gather as Kiwis to celebrate our team.  It’s also special for that one person who will carry the New Zealand flag, our flag, into the Olympic Stadium tomorrow night.  With the NZOC having set the bar high for our representatives to be here, to be the person who is the flag bearer, and having the privilege of wearing the beautiful cloak “Te Mahutonga”, is a great individual honour.
 
Being the flag-bearer is special because it reflects the standing of the chosen athlete and the respect – the mana – that person holds within the New Zealand team.  It speaks volumes of the person who the team is proud of to lead them into the Olympic Stadium.

It is special for me, as Patron of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, to present the flag-bearer with a pounamu pendant.  It is also special for me, as Governor-General, knowing that my predecessor Sir Arthur Porritt, the first New Zealand-born Governor-General, is one of only two New Zealanders to have twice been the flag bearer, when he carried it aloft into the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. 

The naming of the flag bearer is also special because it speaks of our long association with the Olympic movement.  It is a connection that goes back to the very beginning of the modern Olympics. 

One of the 13 Founder Members elected to the International Olympic Committee in 1894 in Paris was a New Zealander.  Leonard Cuff, the first Secretary of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association also represented Australasia (New Zealand and Australia) on the Committee until 1905.  He also happened to be the longest surviving Founder Members.

New Zealand was represented for the first time at the Olympic Games, the fourth Olympiad in 1908.  That was the first time the Games were held in this city.  New Zealander Harry Kerr was a member of the Australasian team, and the first New Zealander to win an Olympic medal.  Since Kerr’s bronze in the 3500m walk, we have never looked back.

The honour of bearing the New Zealand flag and wearing Te Mahutonga speaks of much more, however.  Te Mahutonga was gifted to the NZOC by the late Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu in 2004. 

Our flag and the cloak both share the “Southern Cross”.  They declare where we are from.  They are special taonga.

Together, the flag and cloak speak of our unity, commitment, a pursuit of excellence and our collective hopes and dreams for our Kiwi athletes. 

Setting the benchmark high means each Kiwi athlete is here to be their best.  They are here to compete against the world’s best for the most coveted of sporting prizes, an Olympic medal.

Each athlete and each team has spent considerable time and the last four years training.  They have honed their individual and collective strength and skills, for this moment - the opportunity to wear the silver fern and compete in London.

Over the next two weeks, everything they will have been working towards will come to fruition.  It will mean glory for some, and yet success for all.  Such is the drift of life that only some will return home with medals.  I am certain, however, that each of our athletes will wear the silver fern with pride, will give of their all to be their best.  And regardless of results each athlete will achieve something special – for themselves and us.

Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.