New Zealand Aids Foundation life membership awards

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E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi katoa huri noa o Aotearoa, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou.  Nau mai, haere mai ra ki Te Whare Kawana o Tamaki Makaurau.  Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, greetings and welcome to Government House Auckland.

I specifically acknowledge: Andrew Sweet and Shaun Robinson, Chair of the New Zealand Aids Foundation Trust Board and Executive Director of the NZAF respectively; and Daniel Nehemia, Foundation kaumātua – tēnā koutou katoa.

Janine and I are delighted to welcome you all to Government House for this awards ceremony.  These awards are special.   They are special because they are an opportunity for me, as your Patron, and for us all to recognise four individuals who have given dedicated service to the New Zealand Aids Foundation.  These awards are also special because they remind us that the story of the fight against HIV-Aids is about people.  At this time, I want to especially acknowledge the late Faith Christine Takuwai Makiri Mason - Aunty Wai Mason - who passed away on September 28 before she could receive this award.  E te kuia, whaea Wai. Te wahine pakari, te wahine toa, moe mai, okioki, ki roto I te rangimarie.   I also acknowledge her family, who are here today to receive this award on her behalf. 

As you know, HIV is a virus and Aids is a disease.  All too often people view them in the abstract, and as something other worldly.  However, the story of the epidemic is about people who lived with the disease, people who are affected by it, and people who grieve still for those who were taken before their time. 

Earlier this year, we marked the 30th anniversary of the first Aids Candlelight Memorial in San Francisco in 1983.  While Aids is now a chronic disease that can be controlled by medication, we should never forget that in those 30 years the epidemic claimed the lives of more than 30 million people worldwide.  And despite all the advances in medical science, there remains no cure.  Every day people continue to become infected, and every day people continue to die from the disease.

The story of the epidemic is also about people who refused to be silent witnesses to the spread of the disease.  They stepped forward and took action to support and advocate for those living with Aids and to fight the ignorance, prejudice and discrimination that were the hallmark of the epidemic, especially in its earliest days.  In New Zealand we remember people like little Eve van Grafthorst and Sir Paul Holmes who did so much to bring AIDS equality to New Zealand.

The four people to be honoured here today – Michael Bancroft, Kevin Hague, Tony Hughes and the late Aunty Wai Mason – each made a contribution to the cause in different ways.  Some have contributed in governance and administration, and others in research, promotion and advocacy at the community and national levels.  And some have contributed in the hands-on delivery of prevention and support services.

While each person’s contribution is different, several characteristics bind them together.  They were all people who stepped forward to fight a good fight, giving voice to those that others chose to shun.  And they have each shown a commitment to the Foundation and its work that spans decades.  Aids may have been with us for about 30 years, but the combined service represented here spans more than 100 years.  Their contribution reaches back to the earliest days of the epidemic, and the establishment of the Foundation in the mid-1980s. 

The Foundation has been at the forefront of New Zealand’s response to the epidemic and it is recognised as a leader in HIV prevention.  That standing, however, would never have been achieved if it was not for the hard work, commitment, passion and dedication of its members.  It is the members, almost all of you volunteers, who continue to gift time and energy to the Foundation.  Your efforts to prevent the spread of HIV-Aids, and to provide support for those living with the disease and their whānau, counts.

In conclusion, as Foundation Patron, I want to thank and congratulate the recipients for their service, their commitment, and for their humanity.  Each of those being honoured today has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the values and goals of the New Zealand Aids Foundation and its vision of a world without Aids.  Finally, I also acknowledge the work the New Zealand Aids Foundation and its members, who underpin its essential work, do.  Thank you. 

Kia ora, kia kaha, kia manawanui, huihui tātou katoa.