Speech
Historic Places Aotearoa
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E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Kia ora tātou katoa. Distinguished guests; Members of Historic Places Aotearoa; ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all.
I specifically acknowledge: Dame Anne Salmond and Anna Crighton, Patron and President respectively of Historic Places Aotearoa; Hon Tariana Turia, Minister of the Crown; Judge Shonagh Kenderdine, Chairperson of the NZ Historic Places Trust - tēnā koutou.
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all to Government House this evening. Let me begin by saying that there seems no more appropriate place for the launch of Historic Places Aotearoa!
Government House Wellington is an integral part of New Zealand’s government, history and heritage. The historic status of the House has been recognised by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust with a category 1 rating. As the official residence of Governors and Governors-General for more than a century, it has, and continues to play a significant part in supporting each vice-regal representative through their constitutional, ceremonial and community leadership roles.
As many of you may already know, this House underwent a major conservation project from 2008 through to 2011. The work carried out included seismic strengthening, asbestos removal and complete service replacement. Those are the things that you can’t see, and later in the evening you will be able to see the more obvious signs of the ‘makeover’ as you look around the House.
That conservation project was a very important part of protecting this historic place so that future generations of New Zealanders may long continue to enjoy it.
And that is what Historic Places Aotearoa is all about – protecting things that are important to New Zealanders. Our heritage is intertwined with the many historic places throughout the country. Although we are a relatively young country, we have an important history which is, in part, reflected in our heritage buildings and historic sites, which deserve protection and promotion.
Why? Because they help tell our story – the story of New Zealand, and New Zealanders. They form a part of our collective memories and heritage, and it is important that they are protected and preserved.
I am encouraged by the establishment of Historic Places Aotearoa. I think it is important to provide an opportunity for communities to be active in the preservation of their heritage, our heritage, for future generations. A local connection is so important because that is where the knowledge of local history and heritage, and the real stories lie. However, the collective, Historic Places Aotearoa, provides the platform for promoting community and national pride in our buildings, our sites, and our cultural landscapes that individually tell a story of people: who has been where, what has happened to them there and in turn explains where we are now.
Nelson Mandela captured the essence of this in a letter to his wife:
“Nothing can be as valuable as being part and parcel of the history of a country.”
I want to congratulate Historic Places Aotearoa on your establishment. This is the beginning of your story as an organisation, which I’m convinced will play a vital role in protecting and promoting our heritage and our legacy: our nation’s historic buildings, sites and cultural landscapes and stories for future generations.
Shortly, I will officially launch Historic Places Aotearoa. However there are a few more important people who need to speak, and in that regard, I would like to invite Dame Anne Salmond, Patron of Historic Places Aotearoa, to address us.
Kia ora huihui tatou katoa.