Opening of the New Zealand Youth Parliament

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

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

Specifically I acknowledge: the Speaker of the House, the Hon Margaret Wilson; the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Helen Clark; Minister of Youth Affairs, the Hon Nanaia Mahuta; Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Bill English; members of Parliament; young people; international observers; Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a matter of great honour to be here this morning to officially open New Zealand Youth Parliament 2007.

An important part of my role as Governor-General, within my ceremonial capacity, is to officially open new sessions of Parliament.

As yet, I have not had the opportunity to do this given there has not been a general election during my tenure. I was, therefore, pleased to be invited to open the New Zealand Youth Parliament as it will give me a spot of practice for my official duties later in 2008.

There will of course be some significant differences in the two openings. As youth parliamentarians, you are unlikely to have mounted quite the same campaign to gain you office as your adult counterparts will have. And your names will, as yet, not be the stuff of dinner party conversations. But all that may change during the next few days.

This is actually the first of two opportunities I will have to open New Zealand Youth Parliament this year. The second, however, requires only my caricature to be present for the ceremony.

My cartoon counterpart will appear on the television programme, Brotown, later this year to again officially open Youth Parliament.

The invitation to appear on this show was a great honour, and I already have my Brotown likeness framed and hanging in my office.

While Brotown will, undoubtedly bring its usual comic flair to Youth Parliament, the real Youth Parliament is a serious business.

Given that your gathering aims to mirror the actual business of Parliament it will not be without its humour. And I hope that this is the case. However, at its heart Youth Parliament is a weighty opportunity to be part of the political process. 

It is one thing to read the paper, watch the news, or even meet with your local MP. It is quite another to participate in a select committee, to debate legislation and to ask oral questions of Cabinet Ministers.  Mirroring Parliament itself, your deliberations will be scrutinised by members of the Youth Press Gallery.

This will be an experience that has the potential to help shape your future career choices, including propelling some of you further into the business of Government - and, perhaps, it will propel others in the opposite direction.

It will also be a lesson in leadership of course. The importance of leadership is expressed in this Maori proverb:

Ma mua ka kite a muri, ma muri ka Ora a mua

Those who lead, give sight to those who follow; those behind, give life to those ahead

You will learn about leadership by working closely, and interacting daily, with the leaders of New Zealand. I encourage you to take this opportunity to learn from our country's leaders as you join them in their very workplaces.

Most importantly, however, Youth Parliament provides you with a quite unique opportunity to participate in the highest levels of decision-making.

You will have a forum within which to represent the views of your peers, and to foster a greater understanding among our country's adult leaders, of what motivates young people to contribute to their communities, and to succeed themselves.

I am advised that together you have helped design the agenda of debate for this Youth Parliament. This means that in a very real sense, you will be effecting positive change within your own communities.

I wish each of you the very best for the New Zealand Youth Parliament 2007. Before finishing with my customary Maori farewell, I take great pleasure in declaring New Zealand Youth Parliament open for 2007.

I began speaking in all the New Zealand realm languages.  May I close by speaking in Maori issuing greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours.