Kaiapoi High School Visit

Acknowledgements and welcome
E nga mana, e nga reo, rau rangatahi ma, e huihui nei, Tēnā koutou katoa. Distinguished hosts and students, greetings.

Russell Keetley and Elizabeth McMeeken, Chair of the Board and Acting Principal respectively; distinguished guests otherwise, Ladies and Gentlemen and young men and women of Kaiapoi High School.  Thank you for the wonderful welcome that you’ve given to my wife and me today.  Can I also say that it was an honour to officially open your Gymnasium Extension. I would also like to ackowledge some recent achievements here at Kaiapoi High.  First is to congratulate you on getting 2nd place in the Canterbury Stage Challenge finals with your piece 'Last lesson learnt'. Also congratulations to the Head Boy Callum Bell who won the Morrison Trust/Sheliah Winn Shakesphere Composition National Award for 2011. May I also congratulate Jessica Sullivan, Shannel Cartwright and Bronwyn Dibb for your recent achievements and being inducted into the Kaiapoi High School Sporting Wall of Fame.

Reason for being here
The visit to your school is special for many reasons.  Although it is our second school visit, it is the first visit to a school in Canterbury.  I’ve got five years as the Queen’s representative in New Zealand and as the Governor-General.  Over that time we are particularly keen to meet as many people as we can, and especially those that have been affected by the earthquakes on 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011, so that we can show that other New Zealanders support and care about you. 

Your school motto ‘Ma te aroha ka tutaki – through love (care and concern for others), all things are possible’ is a wonderful guiding principle.  Each of you, staff and students, will probably have been affected by the earthquakes – some more than others.  Yet, in adversity, being a part of a community with a sense to help others who are worse off is a spirit that is worth celebrating.  It seems to me from what I have heard, that attitude – caring for others - is evident here at Kaiapoi High School.

In the Army, that attitude is known as comradeship, and it governs the way soldiers relate to each other, on and off the battlefield.  I am sure you will all have heard of Willie Apiata, a member of the New Zealand Special Air Service, the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand.  Willie demonstrated incredible courage and comradeship when he rescued his mate, in Afghanistan.  Part of his citation for the Victoria Cross reads:

"In total disregard of his own safety, Lance Corporal Apiata stood up and lifted his comrade bodily. He then carried him across the seventy metres of broken, rocky and fire swept ground, fully exposed in the glare of battle to heavy enemy fire and into the face of returning fire from the main Troop position. That neither he nor his colleague were hit is scarcely possible. Having delivered his wounded companion to relative shelter with the remainder of the patrol, Lance Corporal Apiata re-armed himself and rejoined the fight in counter-attack."

Looking after ‘your own’, your family, your friends, and your community is a very important part of dealing with tough situations.  Some of you present will have demonstrated your own acts of courage following the earthquakes, in supporting those around you and doing what you could to help.

And that leads to a further reason regarding the special nature of this visit.  It is my privilege to meet you brave young women and men who have decided to continue your schooling.  To my mind you have chosen to seek “excellence” in what you might do in the future.

Excellence
As to excellence: As Governor-General and as a recently retired Board of Trustees member at Palmerston North Boys’ High School, I acknowledge the wonderful history and school vision that guides your learning here at Kaiapoi High School – “Be the best that you can be.”

There is a Māori proverb that summarises the importance of striving for excellence:
Whāia te iti kahurangi
Ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei
Pursue excellence – should you stumble, let it be before a lofty mountain

The message of the proverb is that you should always aim high so that if you do stumble along the way, and don’t quite reach your goals, you will still have the satisfaction from what you have already achieved, and it will be a better place than where you started!  Striving to be the best that you can be in everything you do will ensure success at school, at home, in sport, and in your chosen career.

In all that you do, make sure you own what you do.  Own the good and equally own your mistakes.  Especially in the case of the latter, own it, fix it, learn from it, and move on.

Excellence is something that can be achieved in all areas of our lives.  Each one of us should always strive to do our best in everything that we do.

In my own case, I embarked on a life as a soldier in the New Zealand Army in 1972, just after I left school and long before many of you here were born!  That may even include some staff!  I had many unique and challenging experiences during my time in the Army.  However, the pursuit of excellence was always emphasised in everything we did, be it in keeping fit, using weapons, training in the jungles of Malaysia, or peacekeeping in Southern Lebanon.

Although I wasn’t intending to become Governor-General at the age of 18, I was committed to working towards the next step in my career, and ensuring that I had as many opportunities as was possible.  Joining the New Zealand Special Air Service was something else that I chose to do because they are the best at what they do, and I wanted to serve with the best!

End of year – coming up to exams
I want to now speak from the perspective of a parent.  As your end-of-year examinations approach, I am sure you will all be busy studying or busy looking busy studying.  Whatever approach you’re taking, bear in mind examinations are a time where you can practice personal excellence.  In doing so, you ensure your success and cement your years of learning – whether you are in the junior or senior school.  I encourage everyone to be diligent in preparing for their exams. 

We have two teenage boys who are approaching their end-of-year exams at the moment.  One is doing NCEA level 1, the other NCEA level 3.  I can tell you that we will be issuing the same advice to them!

Conclusion 
Thank you all once again for giving my wife Janine and me such a warm welcome to Kaiapoi High.  What I see before me is a group of young men and women that have neat opportunities and enormous potential to achieve great things.  You young men and women are part of New Zealand’s greatest asset – our rangatahi – our youth.  The future of Aotearoa New Zealand has always been in the hands of its young men and women.  One day you will be leaders in your communities, cities, or of our country.

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora koutou katoa.