Handover of the FDR International Disability Award

May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - in English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the afternoon and the sun is high in the sky (Sign)

May I specifically greet you: Hon Ruth Dyson, Minister for Disability Issues; Jan Scown, Director of the Office for Disability Issues; Mike Gourley, President of the New Zealand Disabled Person's Assembly; Distinguished Guests otherwise, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is with pleasure that my wife Susan and I welcome you to Government House in Wellington today. 

Last week, there occurred the honour of visiting the United Nations in New York to receive the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award on behalf of New Zealand.

The award was of considerable significance for our country, and particularly for those living with disabilities.  The presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, at both the ceremony and reception afterwards, underpinned the significance of the award and of the high regard with which New Zealand is held.

I said in my acceptance speech and repeat now that whilst New Zealand has achieved much, but much remains to be done. The award reflects a sustained commitment to address the needs and wellbeing of New Zealanders who live with disabilities.

While I was in New York, in the preparation days before the ceremony, I made it my business to learn first-hand, other than from the comprehensive written briefing I had received, some of the background behind the decision to make this award to New Zealand.  To do this, I spoke at length with staff in the New Zealand Mission to the UN and with people in the two organisations that had made the decision.

What had impressed the World Committee on Disabilities and the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute was not any "one-off" initiative or piece of legislation, but a suite of measures, of which they took note - in administrative practices, in institutional changes, in legislation, and in education and social marketing.  These initiatives, over many years, made New Zealand stand out as a country with an enlightened attitude to those living with disabilities. When combined with New Zealand's role in negotiating the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the result was a unanimous decision to make the award to New Zealand.

The award also reflects our commitment as a country to a principle that everyone is born equal in dignity and worth and that everyone in New Zealand is entitled—as a human right—to live a life to the fullest extent of his or her abilities. 

In essence, it is a commitment to support all people with disabilities to lead 'ordinary lives'—lives that are the same as other New Zealanders.  It is also about building partnerships with the disability community, between government at central, regional and local levels, and also with many community groups and non-governmental organisations.

I also noted in my speech that this award, and agreements such as the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, whilst important, are but one stage in the journey. 

An underlying principle of our democracy is that while the Queen reigns, the Government rules.  As Governor-General, it was a great honour to receive the award on behalf of our nation.  In presenting it to you, Minister of the Crown, Hon Ruth Dyson, there is now conveyed to the Government a responsibility to continue the work that has been done so far. 

New Zealand received the award for its achievements to date.  But for event to have long-standing meaning, that work must continue.  As Governor-General and Patron of many organisations representing or assisting those with disabilities, I know of the work to date and some of the initiatives on the horizon.  I wish both you and the disabled community well in your ongoing endeavours.

Moving forward, however, is not only a challenge to the Government, but to us all.  It is one thing to remove the physical hurdles that prevent people with disabilities from living in an inclusive society and community.

The most significant barrier that those with physical, intellectual and mental disabilities face are the stereotypes that many of us hold.  They are hurdles that may not always be immediately apparent to the eye, but they are there.  The fact that even very young children can express highly prejudiced views about those with disabilities shows how deep-seated such views may be within our culture. 

My challenge, or wero, then in presenting this award to the Government is actually a challenge to us all.  In the same way that I have urged all New Zealanders to be more than just tolerant of those who are culturally or religiously different from us, I urge everyone to better understand those living with disabilities. 

Getting to know those who are less able than we are, will not be fraught or stressful if we are prepared to get to know people as they are, not as we conceive them to be.  

Too often we use the simple observation of behaviour as the answer to understanding people - without analysis and without reflection.  To illustrate this I bring to mind an example given by one contemporary researcher of how we can easily misconstrue others.  The researcher noted how he had seen a man in the street talking loudly to himself and gesticulating with his hands.  He readily admitted to how, almost without thinking, he had then prejudicially jumped to the conclusion that the man was someone with a mental illness.  However, he had had to reassess that notion when the man turned around and was seen to be talking on a hands free cell phone.

The challenge of this award is to not only continue the work that allows those living with disabilities to lead ordinary lives, but also to move toward a real understanding of those living with disabilities. The challenge is to stop jumping to conclusions and to treat people as individuals and not as members of an amorphous group.

On that note, I will close in New Zealand's first language Maori by offering greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.

It gives me great pleasure then, Minister, Hon Ruth Dyson, to present to you the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award.