Speech
HMNZS Taupō
To: Rear Admiral Tony Parr, Chief of Navy; to Your Worships: Stan Semenoff, Mayor of Whangarei District; Neil Tiller, Mayor of Kaipara District; Wayne Brown, Mayor of Far North District; to Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Clarkson, Commanding Officer HMNZS Taupō; Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: Greetings, kia ora, kia orana, fakalofa lahi atu, taloha ni (sign ‘good afternoon’). These are the languages of the Realm of New Zealand.
I am delighted to be present for the welcoming home of HMNZS Taupō to her home port in Whangarei. I thank you for the invitation to attend and participate in today's ceremony. It was a little over a year ago that I named this vessel and it is wonderful, as Lady Sponsor, to welcome her home.
In April the laying of the mauri, or life force, took place and the maiden voyage from Whangarei to Devonport was in June.
I shall speak about the vital role that HMNZS Taupō plays in patrolling and protecting New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone.
As the Governor General’s wife, I seek to promote three themes. One of them fits in very well with the purpose of this vessel; namely, the protection of New Zealand’s environment.
Protection of the environment is an important role that HMNZS Taupō will play as an Inshore Patrol Vessel and as a part of Project Protector. Activities such as undertaking maritime surveillance in support of civil agencies - including the New Zealand Customs Service, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Conservation - ensure that our environment is protected from external dangers and threats.
Our country will be guarded and DOC workers aided by the Taupō and the clean and green reputation, which we value so much, will be aided. It is our duty to protect this land for future generations so that they may enjoy a similarly beautiful environment to that which we enjoy.
David Bellamy, the British botanist, author, broadcaster and environmental campaigner, in his reflections on our country, had this to say:
“This is the greenest country in the world in more ways than one, shouting a message of hope to a dying world. I tell you, if New Zealand can’t make it work, the rest of the world hasn’t got a chance. ”
We can be proud of the land that we live in and we must seek to protect it in every way that we can.
This ship bears a proud name. The first ship of that name was a Loch class, an anti-submarine frigate, and served with the Royal NZ Navy from 1948 to 1961. Taupō served with distinction with the United Nations forces during the Korean War and her crew were some of the one thousand three hundred New Zealand sailors who served during that conflict.
The second HMNZS Taupō was one of four Lake Class patrol boats that served with the Royal New Zealand Navy from 1975 to 1991.
On a dramatic night in our recent past, in 1986, she was nearby and came to the aid of the passengers of the stricken Soviet liner, Mikhail Lermontov when it foundered in the Marlborough Sounds.
We should also note that Whangarei has a particular claim on these vessels. It is here that they were built and here that they first tasted the sea. Taupō will demonstrate that link in an ongoing way.
When I heard news of Taupō completing her maiden voyage, I wrote to Lieutenant Commander Clarkson, congratulating him and his crew on the milestone. I expressed my pride in the letter as follows: “I am very proud to have the role as Lady Patron of HMNZS Taupō. It stands right up ‘there’, for me, with our new grandson, Joshua and new granddaughter, Lola.”
I wish “Protector Ship Taupō” and her crew all the very best as they together provide an invaluable service to our country and its people.
Tēnā koutou, Tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā kouto katoa.
Susan Satyanand