NZ Central Indian Women's Conference

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni, Namaste, Namashkar, Sat Sri Akal, Kam Cho.

To: Ratilal Champaneri, President of the New Zealand Indian Central Association; Javer Naran, President of the Wellington Indian Association; Puspa Lekinwala, Chairperson of the Women's section of the New Zealand Indian Central Association;  Distinguished Guests.  Greetings to you all.

Thank you for inviting me to attend the New Zealand Indian Central Association's Women's Conference here at Bharat Bhavan in Kilbirnie.  My husband, Anand Satyanand sends his kind regards to you all.  We have visited this complex many times and it is a pleasure to see so many familiar faces here today.

I have been asked to open the conference—the fifth in recent years for Indian women—but before I do, I would like to speak briefly of our experiences since my husband was appointed Governor-General in August 2006 - and some of the key objectives of our term.

As you can imagine, the first 18 months have been a whirlwind of official engagements.  The solemnity of visiting the largest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Belgium to mark the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele in July 2007.  It can be contrasted with the warm and friendly visits we have undertaken to Niue, Tokelau, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Australia.

Of course, there was a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip just before my husband took up his office.  We were obviously nervous at meeting them, but we were soon put at ease and enjoyed a delicious lunch with them.

A particular highlight has been attending investiture ceremonies at Government House in Auckland and Wellington. They are an opportunity to meet so many people who have achieved in commerce, the community, public service or sport and give an insight into the qualities that make New Zealand so special.

Other key ceremonial duties include attendance at Waitangi Day and Anzac Day commemorations as well as accepting the credentials of new ambassadors and welcoming visiting Heads of State to New Zealand at ceremonies, either at Government House Wellington or Government House Auckland.  Some of the Heads of State we have met have included the President of Ireland, HE Mary McAleese, the Head of State of Samoa, HH Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, the President of Uruguay, HE Dr Tabare Vazquez, the President of Viet Nam, HE Nguyen Minh Triet and the President of Uganda, HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

We have also travelled widely within New Zealand allowing us to again meet a wide variety of people involved in a host of community activities and have a sense of the distinctive character of the different regions in a modern context.  We have visited from Cape Reinga in the north to Stewart Island in the south. 

On a personal level, getting used to living in a public space, such as Government House Wellington has taken some getting used to.  The staff at Government House have earned our respect for the excellence in the way they do housekeeping, meals and care for the guests and us. The way we think of it is that we live in a New York-style apartment looking out over a garden like Central Park towards the city lights in the distance.  Our apartment, however, is above what is a national treasure house—an elegant reception centre for overseas guests and New Zealanders to enjoy.

The treasures in the Wellington house include the gifts of past Governors-General, paintings held in trust for other collections and displayed in a coherent way by a curator.  I am constantly learning about the history of items at the house and they are often rotated through the House and its store-rooms by staff.  The Ballroom is made more magnificent with huge Czech chandeliers and portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.  The portrait of Queen Victoria is particularly interesting because, unlike the statues of her around New Zealand that show her as an old woman, it is of a young woman in the prime of her life.

Government House in Auckland, while it has been refurbished and extended, still feels more of a home.  Both properties feature quite amazing gardens which are expertly cared for by a Wellington-based landscaping firm which started as a contractor in the Wellington Government House garden.  I would dearly love to get my fingers dirty on occasion, but sadly there simply isn't the time for gardening.

The year ahead promises significant change for both for Anand, and me, with the likelihood of further international travel.  There was a time when Governors-General rarely travelled, apart from the Pacific Islands.  Now it is an important aspect of the job, representing New Zealand and New Zealand interests abroad.

All that I have outlined has underlined the Governor-General's key constitutional, ceremonial and community leadership roles.  But while we have faced almost every aspect of the role of being New Zealand's Vice-Regal couple, the one outstanding constitutional duty—the appointing of a Prime Minister, swearing in of a government and opening a new Parliament—lies ahead.

At the outset, my husband has set several key themes for his term as Governor-General.  These include promoting excellence and greater understanding of New Zealand's cultural diversity, civic education and community engagement.

I have supported him in this work, but I have also sought to emphasise the needs of children and their families.  To that end, I have agreed to be Patron of several organisations, including the Girl Guides, Girls' Brigade, YWCA and Barnardos.  As Patron of Children's Day, I have encouraged a family fun day to be held in the Wellington Government House Grounds starting at 10am tomorrow.

New Zealand is becoming an incredibly diverse country, in culture, ethnicity and religion.  About a quarter of New Zealanders at the last Census were born overseas.  A century ago, most of those foreign-born Kiwis would have hailed from Britain or Ireland.  Today, U K-born New Zealanders make up a little more than a quarter of foreign-born Kiwis—the same proportion as from Asia.

In terms of religious affiliation, this change is also apparent.  The last Census showed that while just slightly more than half of New Zealanders said they were Christians—a small drop on five years earlier—almost a third professed no faith at all. 

Against these changes, and reflecting immigration from Asia, there were also major increases in those holding non-Christian religions.  The number of Sikhs increased by 83%, while the people who identified as Hindu increased by more than a half, as did the number of people who are Muslims.

These changes have added colour and vitality that is enriching New Zealand's society, culture and economy.  But diversity also poses challenges that New Zealand as a whole will need to sensibly discuss.  For ethnic minorities living in a new land, there are the twin tensions of the needs, values and culture of the new country while also trying to preserve and respect the culture you have brought with you.  Children of settlers are caught between the need to conform to the values of their home and the need to be 'cool at school'.

Women have a significant contribution to make to their community.  Deeply understanding family relationships and health gives us a special wisdom about practical issues such as listening and thoughtful compromises.

It is appropriate then, that the theme of this year's conference is 'bridging the gap'.  In recent years, the number of people of Indian descent in New Zealand has increased dramatically.  The community grew by two-thirds to more than 104 thousand in the five years to 2006.

Late last year we attended a crowded dinner for Indian lawyers in Auckland.  Anand observed that if such a gathering had been held when he graduated from Auckland University Law School in 1970, there would have been barely five available, with only a dozen Indian lawyers in the whole country.

For more than 80 years, the NZ Indian Central Association has been a leading voice of people of Indian descent in New Zealand.  It has promoted harmony with other New Zealanders and knowledge about Indian culture.  It represented the Indian way not only to the wider New Zealand public but also to the children and grandchildren of the first Indian migrants.  I must note here that I myself was part of the Indian sports netball team in Palmerston North in the early eighties.

May I congratulate you on your effort and initiative.  By holding conferences where the unique concerns of women of Indian descent can be aired and discussed, you are highlighting the many issues that concern not only Indian women, but also families and children.

I wish you all the best for your deliberations, you have a most interesting programme ahead.  Thank you for the honour you have shown me in asking me to speak today.

It is with great pleasure that I formally declare the New Zealand Indian Central Association Women's Conference officially open. 

Tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.  Dhanyavaad, Shukriya.