Laura Fergusson Trust

Kia ora tātou, nga mihi māhana ki a koutou.  Greetings everyone and warm greetings to you all.

I specifically acknowledge: John Kennedy-Good and Sue Thompson, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Laura Fergusson Trust Wellington respectively; and Teresa Lloyd, Chair of the Ladies’ Auxiliary.

Thank you for inviting Janine and me to open the Laura Fergusson Trust Wellington’s new Abilities Hub and Therapy Room here in Naenae.  We have been asked to unveil a plaque to mark the occasion, but before we do, I will speak of the significance of the Trust’s work and the role of these new facilities.

At the outset I want to say how welcome it is that Janine and I have the opportunity to renew the long-standing connection between Government House and the Laura Fergusson Trust.  The relationship is one that extends back more than 50 years.

It was Governor-General Sir Bernard Fergusson’s wife, Lady Fergusson, who gave her name to, and was instrumental in the establishment of, the first Laura Fergusson Trust facilities in Auckland in 1967.

And that link with the Fergusson family has remained strong, particularly with Sir Bernard and Lady Fergusson’s son, George, who was British High Commissioner to New Zealand until 2010 and remains the organisation’s National Patron.  I wrote to George when I heard of the shocking attack on him in London and I’ve wished him a speedy recovery and all the best to him and his wife Margaret for his next assignment as the Governor of Bermuda.

A couple years after the Auckland facilities were established, thoughts turned to the need for similar facilities for the disabled in the Capital.  Not surprisingly, Lady Porritt hosted a meeting at Government House in 1970 that saw the Ladies Auxiliary established.  That meeting established a tradition of the Governor-General’s spouse being Patron of the Ladies Auxiliary, a role Janine was happy to take on.

Two years after that first meeting, the Wellington Laura Fergusson Trust was established, and in 1977 Sir Denis Blundell opened the first facilities here.  A recreation centre followed in 1982 and when the Trust expanded further, the late Sir Paul and Lady Reeves had the honour of opening them in 1989.

The important thing about the Laura Fergusson Trust is that it provides opportunities for people with physical impairments to pursue a supported and independent lifestyle.   It works in partnership with people to provide services and facilities that allow them to participate more fully within the community.

More specifically, the Laura Fergusson Trust Wellington is a special organisation because it demonstrates in a practical way values that are important to New Zealand—committed and compassionate care for some of our society’s most vulnerable members, those living with significant physical disabilities.

In providing on site accommodation, occupational therapy and rehabilitation, respite care and day programmes and other services; the Trust, its dedicated staff and its volunteers make a real difference to the lives of people with physical disabilities. 

For more than 30 years, the Trust has been providing high quality disability services in a caring community setting.  These new and expanded facilities will add to that and help all those living in them, using them, and working in them, to look forward to an exciting and bright future.  I want to congratulate the Laura Fergusson Trust Wellington, and all its supporters and sponsors, for its work in bringing this project to fruition. 

The new Abilities Hub and Therapy Room, with its mix of residential, rehabilitative and recreation facilities, marks the beginning of a new era for the Trust that will ensure it is well placed to meet the needs of those in the Wellington region with a range of physical disabilities for many years to come. 

As former South African President Nelson Mandela said “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.  It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”. 

The Trust and its people make a real difference by helping those with disabilities give their lives purpose and direction, and by enabling them to live their lives with dignity.  It is an honour for Janine and me to stand among you and to declare the Abilities Hub and Therapy Room officially open.  Thank you.