NZQA Top Secondary School Scholars Ceremony

Ladies and Gentlemen, I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and Sign Language.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni, (Sign)

Specifically I greet you: Hon Steve Maharey, Minister for Education; Dr Karen Poutasi, Chief Executive NZQA; Sue Suckling, Board Chair, NZQA; Mr Bali Haque, Deputy Chief Executive, NZQA; Karen Sewell, Secretary for Education, Tamati Cairns, NZQA Kaumatua; Students.

Welcome to Government House.  It is a matter of great delight for

We are here to celebrate our nation's top scholars. You are the students who are not only sufficiently high achieving to have been selected to sit Scholarship exams, but who have also achieved the top mark in one or more Scholarship subjects.

You are the highest achievers in your age for New Zealand, and it is an honour to host these awards as a way to recognise your considerable accomplishments.

I welcome you once again and hope you enjoy your afternoon.

Draft Main Speech - after presentation of awards

Congratulations to you all.

Each of you has each shown exceptional ability in your chosen scholarship subjects.

A number of you have excelled in more than one subject and your hard work and effort is justly rewarded. I expect these awards will be just one milestone in a lifetime of achievement.

However, it is an important milestone, one which recognises that you have applied yourself to the best of your ability during one of the most important periods of learning in your life.

With this in mind I would like to share with you a well-known Maori proverb:

Te manu e kai I te miro non ate ngahere.
Te manu e kai I te mataurangi non ate ao.
The bird that feeds on the miro berry has the bush at its domain.
The bird that feeds from learning has the world at its domain

Learning is one of the building blocks of life. Its importance during our formative years cannot be underestimated. It is during our first 20 years that education truly prepares us for all aspects of life - not just our academic pursuits, but our cultural, social, community and sporting lives too.

The challenge I put to you today is to see your college and university years as the gateway to further learning, not the conclusion of your education.

Learning can, and should, continue throughout your entire life.

I would like to reflect briefly on how learning has continued to play a part in my own development.

After graduating from law school I practiced law for twelve years. Half of this time was spent as a Crown prosecutor and the other half as a regular court lawyer.

Following this, I was appointed a District Court Judge for twelve years and Ombudsman for ten. Last year I was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand.

Throughout my professional life I have maintained a recreational interest in the law, outside my immediate role. This has allowed me to consider my work from all possible aspects - rather than being solely guided by my daily tasks.

At the same time, I have maintained an interest in the development of continuing professional education programmes to help further the skills of our lawyers.

As a Judge, I became responsible for the country's Judicial Orientation Programme, and the Judicial Educational Programme. I also developed an interest in the criminal justice aspects of work undertaken by the Prison Board and the Parole Board.

As Ombudsman, I maintained my interest in continued professional education. It was an interest I formalised when I was invited to be part of a Commonwealth Secretariat group delivering a training programme for newly appointed Commonwealth Ombudsmen.

This interest in furthering professional education was, perhaps, not a core part of my legal work - at any stage in my career. If we use an educational metaphor, these activities were extra-curricular.

However, in my experience, these interests helped me become a better lawyer, a better Judge and a better Ombudsman than I might otherwise have been. And they have prepared me to be Governor-General.

Throughout my career, I have also maintained strong community links outside my legal discipline.

I have been a member of Rotary for many years - a connection that has put me in touch with many New Zealanders. Among other roles, I spent time on the board of Asia New Zealand, I served on the national bodies of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs and Transparency International and I even spent some years in administration with New Zealand Rugby League.

These roles enriched my understanding of New Zealand and its people and as a consequence I have gained a better understanding of myself too.

This continues in my current role. Everyday I meet New Zealanders, both ordinary and extraordinary, who teach me more about the world and enrich my knowledge on many subjects, at many levels. 

The key, I believe, is to be open and willing to listen and to learn from these people and experiences.

I would like to finish tonight by issuing the Scholarship winners with a challenge or a wero.

I challenge you to continue to learn - not just in your chosen profession, but outside this through remaining involved and interested in other activities. As highly successful students, I have no doubt this will be an achievable goal for you all.

Once again, I congratulate all the scholarship winners and commend you on your hard work. I wish you all the best with your future studies.

Before closing this ceremony I would like to invite you all to join Susan and myself for afternoon tea.

May I close by speaking in Maori issuing greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours.

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