Helsinki Civic luncheon

May I greet you: Your Excellencies, President Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland and Dr Pentti Arajärvi; Ms Minerva KrohnChairman of the Helsinki City Council; Mr Jussi Pajunen, Mayor; Mr Risto Rautava, Chairman of the City Board; Your Excellency, Mrs Maja Lahteenmaki, Ambassador for Finland to New Zealand; Your Excellency Mr George Troup, Ambassador for New Zealand to Finland; Distinguished Guests otherwise, Ladies and Gentlemen. 

I begin with the New Zealand Māori greeting, "Kia Ora" and may I add the following greeting: Hyvaa paiva Kiitoksia ystävällisestä tervetulosta.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and I to visit the Civic Buildings here in Helsinki and particularly for bestowing on me the Medal of Honour of the City.  This award will remain as evidence of being received here warmly. 

While there is great distance between New Zealand and Finland which means that we are as far away as it is possible to be, there is much that we share in common - most notably a commitment to democratic values. 

Finland and New Zealand both have single parliaments and both elect their members of parliament through systems of proportional representation.  Both New Zealand and Finland also have Ombudsmen, appointed independently by our respective Parliaments to respond to public complaints about government administration.  I had the honour of serving as one of New Zealand’s Ombudsmen for 10 years from 1995.

New Zealand and Finland also share proud traditions of social progress.  While New Zealand was the first country to introduce female suffrage in 1893, it was not until 1919 that women were eligible to stand for election and it was not until 1933 that the first woman was elected to Parliament.

In contrast, Finland was the first country where women had full political rights, including the eligibility to stand for election, in 1906.  Nineteen women were elected in the first election of universal suffrage the following year.  

An important part of any democracy is the ability for residents in communities to make decisions that are largely local in nature.  Nations handle this in different ways with different allocations of powers, services and responsibilities delegated to local or regional levels.  

The connections between people in communities and government seem to be symbolised in the sculpture Ketji (Chain), which we saw on the ground floor, with its interlocking fingers.

I understand that while Helsinki was established more than 400 years ago, the Helsinki City Council was formed in 1875, with the first council having been elected by universal suffrage in 1919.  The council, which is the largest in the country, provides a wide range of services.
While New Zealand was only established as a modern nation with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, it nevertheless has lengthy history of local government that dates back some 150 years. 

The strong democratic values shared by New Zealand and Finland are the foundation that underpins the relationship between our two countries.

We both have similar populations and New Zealand, as a leading agricultural exporter, admires how Finland, has transformed itself from an agriculturally-focused economy into one that also has a strong emphasis on innovation, technology and design.  

New Zealand greatly values its very friendly, warm and co-operative relations with Finland.  As small countries, both Finland and New Zealand are active members of the international community and strong supporters of multilateral solutions to international issues and disputes.   It is not surprising then, that we hold similar views on many issues and that there is a high level of co-operation between Ministers and officials.  

New Zealand is keen to enhance its relationship with Finland and sees significant potential for growth in education, research, trade and tourism.  Our visit aims to build on existing links, to learn more of Finland and its people and prospects and to foster enhanced co-operation.
Thank you again for the honour you have bestowed on me today and for the courtesies that have been shown to Susan and our party.

And on that note, I seek to close in New Zealand's first language Māori, offering everyone greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.