Orewa at KeriKeri Rotary Conference

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 and (sign).

I greet you as Pacific People, as Rotarians and as business leaders. Specifically, I greet you: Brian Coleman, Rotary International Representative. District Governor, Merv Huxford, and people from 36 Rotary Clubs.

It is an honour to address you today.

It is also a delight to be speaking directly after morning tea. The Governor-General is often given what can be called the 'grave-yard' slot at functions.

This is the time after the main dinner has been served, when people are well fed and watered and perhaps more ready for conversation and relaxation between themselves than another lengthy address.

One is challenged to maintain interest at those times. It is therefore a relief to be speaking after my audience has had morning coffee, and is keenly anticipating a day of interesting addresses.

I have been asked to deliver an address on a matter in which I am perhaps considered to have some expertise, though more by virtue of my heritage and life experience than by conscious design on my part.

This is the subject of diversity and multi-culturalism in New Zealand.

I hasten to add that while my life experience has predisposed me to an interest in our cultural diversity; it is a topic which many regard as having considerable significance for our nation. Thus, I am grateful to have both a personal and a professional insight into how New Zealand's diversity contributes to its over-all success.

Today, we have a gathering which is diverse in itself. We have people from New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and from the Norfolk Island.

We have people present who live and work in towns and cities and we have delegates who have travelled from the country.

New Zealand in 2007 is a diverse country.

Since the original tangata whenua were joined by the first predominantly British settlers, people from all parts of the world, including Asia, the Americas, Africa, Europe and the Pacific have also joined us.

Today more than half of all children born in New Zealand are, to some extent, of Maori, Pacific or Asian descent.

Whereas 30 years ago, 86 percent of New Zealanders were European, today, just over two thirds of New Zealanders identify as European. Just under a third identify as Maori, Asian and Pacific.

We can expect this dynamic to change further in the years ahead.  Page one of yesterday's New Zealand Herald made this clear.

We are made up of New Zealanders who were born here, those who have chosen to adopt this country as home and those who may have come here by necessity. We must also not forget those New Zealanders who live overseas - the diaspora.

Our national identity is owed to all these people. We particularly owe the country's cultural distinctiveness to Maori, who came here ages before any others. Their early connection with this land has fundamentally shaped who we are today.

As I mentioned earlier, my perspective on diversity and multiculturalism is shaped by my own personal and family background.

Though born and raised in New Zealand, I am of Fiji Indian descent which has given me some understanding of what is involved in being part of the minority in a predominantly European country.

Indeed, my parents' own story of migration to New Zealand mirrors that of many others. The challenges they faced in acclimatising to a new, and at that time sometimes unwelcoming country, were considerable.

But like so many others, they maintained a healthy balance between preservation of their own cultures, and adaptation to the cultures of their adopted country.

As a child, I was afforded a healthy dose of my origin culture. I have strong memories of attending both Fijian and Indian community events and festivals from an early age, as my parents had affiliations with both.

My early experiences helped me value my culture, and they taught me that good things come from preserving one's heritage.  My wife Susan and I have tried our best to articulate something of the same in our children who, as a result relate to this.

As a lawyer, Judge and Ombudsman in careers to date, I have had occasion to observe the effect a person's race can have on how they feel they fit within their own society. I have seen this in both positive and negative modes.

Finally, as a New Zealander with the benefit of six decades of living in a variety of circumstances, I have been pleased to witness the metamorphosis of what can be described as our ethnic landscape, notably in recent times.

Through each of these perspectives, I saw that change is gradual - but once it occurs, it tends to be quickly accepted.

At times, our country has been hesitant in welcoming difference. It is important we acknowledge this so that our past mistakes are not repeated.

Earlier this year, for example, I launched a book called Indians in Pukekohe. It was an enlightening history of the Indians who settled in the NorthIsland town.

I mention it because while the stories within the book are particular to that community, there is a certain universalism of migrant experience, which is evident in the book.

It takes a candid approach to the hostile reception some settlers received at the hands of some Europeans, and the hardships created by the ebb and flow of racial tension over the years. 

It is a fascinating and sometimes upsetting snapshot of life for migrants to New Zealand.

This book, and many others like it, makes for important reading because it reminds us how far we have come in celebrating our diversity. The messages it carries are relevant for every New Zealander.

At my swearing-in ceremony in August last year, I acknowledged that New Zealand culture today reflects that we are a blend of many people. I acknowledged that while we honour our heritage, we also respect and celebrate new influences.

Eight months later, I can reaffirm that we do indeed celebrate all our influences - both past and present. I can reaffirm that our future lies in our ability to take the very best of these influences to create an identity that is a colourful composite of all our distinct parts.

There is evidence of this in many aspects of New Zealand life. We see it in our calendar of festivals, where such events as the Diwali Festival of Lights, Chinese New Year and St Patrick's Day are celebrated by all New Zealanders - not just Indians, Chinese or Irish.

We see it in the diversity in our schools - not just in the faces of their students, but in the subjects and activities that are part of the curriculum. Recognising our diversity in schools is essential because it prepares our young people to make the most of the opportunities this offers them within New Zealand's future.

We see it in our churches too. There is a pleasing movement underway amongst many of our faiths to increase interaction and understanding between them.

A number of national bodies and organisations have been established to this end. Their success is reflected in the fact they are helping create an environment which not only accepts religious difference, but celebrates it.

Finally, I have seen that our diversity is being harnessed at the top levels of Government and business. Our leaders and decision-makers, both private and public, have recognised the considerable opportunities New Zealand's changing ethnic and cultural landscape provides.

These opportunities apply both within New Zealand, and externally, to relations with other countries. Our ability to engage with, and understand, the many cultures which make up New Zealand gives us tools to better engage with the rest of the world.

Our diversity creates all-important bridges to our countries of origin. This clearly provides benefits for New Zealand in terms of trade, culture, education and diplomatic linkages. 

The matter of diversity also enables a compliment to be paid to this organisation, Rotary.  The circumstances are as follows.  During the last four weeks there has been a devastating earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands relatively nearby in the Pacific to the North West of New Zealand.  As one would expect of a neighbour our country has supplied emergency aid in the form of manpower and materials.  Just 10 days ago I was in telephone contact with my counterpart Governor General Sir Nathaniel Waena.  In our conversation he was at pains to express gratitude for the aid and the expertise applied by New Zealand.  A significant part of that sent from New Zealand were Shelter Boxes - specially designed and made containers of vital equipment containing tents sleeping bags utensils, tools and water containers - the idea having been devised by a Rotarian in England.  As a result Rotary Clubs can now donate Shelter Boxes and many hundreds have emanated in this way from New Zealand.

So, how has our diversity - and our celebration of it - contributed to our success as a country?

It has contributed to our international reputation for tolerance, fairness and peace. This reputation springs from the fact that we have so many ethnicities living together peacefully as New Zealanders, and that when we are represented on the world stage, it is often by people of many colours.

Just look at our Olympic team - it is a vibrant mix of New Zealanders whose ancestry clearly hails from different parts of the world - many of our other sports teams likewise.

Watching the Olympic parade, or a New Zealand team playing almost any sport is a source of great pride. We are defined by our diversity and this is never more clear than when a group of our successful sons and daughters are in the spotlight.

The same can be said for business people, performers, scientists and others who represent New Zealand overseas - many of whom are people whose ancestry lies outside the majority.

These successes show that opportunity exists for capable people to excel in their chosen field - regardless of their ethnic heritage. This is certainly cause for pride.

It also shows that we have gathered the best qualities and talent of each of the cultures of New Zealand and have created a nation which is innovative, forward-thinking and successful in its own right.

I believe our diversity has contributed to those very qualities for which we are internationally renowned.

As with anything, however, with opportunity comes challenge. We cannot talk about celebrating diversity without also acknowledging that there is still work to do.

It is only through careful attention, analysis and planning that we can create a New Zealand that is fair and equitable for all who have been born here, and who choose to live here.

For example, there is still work we must do to fully honour the Treaty of Waitangi in a modern New Zealand setting.

There is still work to do to ensure every person who adopts New Zealand out of necessity or choice, is able to enjoy a full life in their new country.

There is still a conversation to be had on what it truly means to be a New Zealander.

But these are all good challenges - and we must not shy from them, or pretend they do not exist. They are an important part of building a healthy nation - one which prides itself not only on its peaceful and productive international relations, but on peaceful and productive relations within its own communities.

As a young child, sitting on the floor of the Gandhi Hall in

Victoria Street

at functions for the Indian Association, I remember feeling pride in being an Indian Fijian New Zealander with a Kiwi accent.

I am never more proud of that than I am today, as Governor-General to New Zealand. I am honoured to be serving a country that is truly beginning to celebrate the success of every New Zealander - both those with and without a Kiwi accent.

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.

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