Pacific leaders development course

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.  Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning (Sign)

I then specifically greet you: Dr Colin Tukuitonga, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs; Allan Woodside from the Leadership Development Centre Trust; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.   May I add, in the context of this gathering, a number of Pacific greetings: Talofa lava; Malo e lelei; Ni sa bula vinaka, Namaste, Kam na mauri, Halo Olaketa and Mi likum yu tumas. 

Thank you for inviting Susan and me to be part of the inaugural Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs and Leadership Development Centre Pasifika Leadership Development Programme (click for image).

I would like to take an opportunity to provide some insights I have gained through my career about leadership and the qualities that I think senior public service managers may need in the 21st Century.

At the outset I want to congratulate the Ministry and the Trust for the initiative involved in organising this first programme which is designed to increase the number of Pacific peoples in senior positions in the public service. 

I understand this to be the last day of the programme which has been running throughout the year with a mixture of academic work, mentoring and personal development planning as well as guest lectures being provided by people in business, the judiciary, the community and the public service. 

I observe there to have been speakers of the calibre of John Allen, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Justice Joseph Williams of the High Court and former Fairfax New Zealand Chief Executive Joan Withers who have addressed.  That, to my mind, underlines the quality of the programme and its intent.

A structured and strategic programme such as you have had is to be welcomed.  While Pasifika people are represented in the New Zealand Public Service at levels similar to the general population, the proportion at senior levels has remained largely unchanged for a decade.  While accounting for 7.6 percent of the public service, people of Pacific descent accounted for just 1.5 percent of senior managers in 2010.

I come to a gathering such as this from a variety of perspectives.  First, while many see me as New Zealand’s first Governor-General of Indian descent, I place equal store on my Pacific heritage.  While my grandparents were born in India they migrated to this part of the world and Fiji was the birth place of my parents.  They later moved to Auckland where I and my brother were born.  While my family subsequently lost contact with our relatives in India, we retain direct links with family in Fiji and also Samoa, where I have had an uncle who married twice in his lifetime and thus I have had two aunties and several cousins.

Secondly, early in my term as Governor-General, I had the task of opening the exhibition titled Tangata o le Moana at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. One of the “exhibits” was in fact myself in a video interview in which I described what it was like growing up in 1950s Auckland as the child of Pacific immigrants from Fiji.  In my class of 40 students at Richmond Rd Primary School in Ponsonby there were just five or six other non-European children, some of those being from Tonga, the Cook Islands or Samoa. 

Those ties with the Pacific and my Pacific heritage have never faded.  Throughout my career, as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman, or as a family (Susan and I travelled in the Pacific) I have developed and maintained a host of professional and personal links.

As a result I very much appreciate the words of the late Dr Michael King, the noted New Zealand historian, who once said: “In a country inhabited for a mere one thousands years, everybody is an immigrant or a descendent of an immigrant.”

In the Governor-General role, the links between New Zealand and the Pacific have been brought home to me on many occasions.  While I am Governor-General of New Zealand, the wider Realm includes Tokelau, and Niue and the Cook Islands, which are self-governing in free association with New Zealand. 

In the first twelve months of office, I visited all three island groups as well as holding specific community receptions at Government House in Auckland or Wellington.  These visits and gatherings were an opportunity to emphasise my responsibilities to them all and to underscore the contribution of Pacific people to New Zealand’s society, culture and economy.  We have also subsequently visited Tonga, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

There have also been visits to Samoa as well as hosting a State Welcome for the Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, and Her Highness, Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese, at Government House in Wellington.  Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Samoa’s independence and of the Treaty of Friendship between our two countries.  The Treaty symbolises the special relationship between Samoa and New Zealand.  It also underlines the significant Samoan diaspora living here, accounting for about half of all Pacific peoples living in New Zealand.  

The strength of New Zealand’s relationship with Samoa and the deep links between us were epitomised by the tremendous response by the New Zealand Government and all New Zealanders to the deadly tsunami that struck Samoa and other islands in the Pacific in September 2009.   While the disaster was most keenly felt by members of the diaspora, the response was far more widespread and reflected the long-standing and close relationship.

I might also note that all Pacific peoples have made a significant contribution to New Zealand’s society and economy.  Pacific people have brought a colour and vitality to New Zealand art and culture.  That same energy and colour has also enlivened many sports New Zealanders love, such as rugby, rugby league and netball.  One only needs to bring to mind the special atmosphere of the markets in Otara and Porirua to recall that.

I trust that in reciting this admittedly brief summary of my links to the Pacific that I have established a place to stand before this audience.   I want then to examine some issues related to leadership, as seen through the filter of my life experience.

It almost goes without saying that New Zealand faces one of its most challenging times in recent history.  The combination of the ongoing effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, the devastating Christchurch earthquakes and the tragedy on the West Coast have, both literally and figuratively, shaken our economy, society and collective psyche.  New Zealand has faced and overcome such challenges in the past and I am confident we will do so again in dealing with these crises.

In all these contexts, public servants, both in central and local government, have needed to be at the forefront, supporting political leaders as well as working with the wider community to address the issues we face.  The constant expectation from the public and government for continual improvements in standards of service is being balanced against the need to do more with less.  These, of course, are immediate challenges in a world of constant technological, social, cultural and environmental change.  New Zealand’s Pacific peoples are not immune from any of these issues, but they also face specific concerns in relation to health and education and economic wellbeing that are different from society as a whole.

In such times, the cry often goes out for "leadership."  I place the word here in quotes, because it one of those terms that not only means different things to different people but also means different things at different times.

It seems everyone has an opinion on who is either a good or bad leader or the qualities they portray.  If you put the word “leadership” into the search engine of a well-known online book retailer, you will be given more than 77,000 results.

As an aside, the first book on the list is called The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and includes the snappy subtitle: “Follow them and people will follow you.”  The cover of the book, however, noted that it had recently been “revised and updated” which makes one wonder how something that is irrefutable would ever need revising!  If only leadership was so easy!  If it was that simple, there would certainly be less writing about the subject and failures in government or business, invariably blamed on poor communication, poor leadership or both, would be far less common.

People often struggle with a definition, listing instead a number of leadership qualities.  Like defining an elephant, defining leadership is not easy to do, but has the elephantine quality of being easy to spot.  Many people, when pressed further for a clear definition simply retort: "Well, I know it when I see it." 

Professor Brad Jackson from the University of Auckland, and colleague Ken Parry, highlighted the conundrum in a 2008 book, Why Studying Leadership Matters.  They noted at the outset:  "Whether it's teenager's views on the adequacy of their parent's or teacher's leadership skills or a colleague questioning the wisdom of promoting someone at work or the election of a new political leader, leadership tends to be something that is high on a lot of people's agendas—and invariably it's a powerful way of dividing people into those who support a particular leader and those who do not. The most authoritative sources regarding matters of global as well as local leadership are, of course, taxi drivers. They should be consulted at every opportunity."

Maybe there is something about driving someone else around because drivers of Governors-General have not been averse to occasionally passing on similar insights to those they are driving around! 

But I jest. Looking at my career, it is now more than 40 years since I graduated with a law degree from the University of Auckland and was admitted in the then equivalent of the High Court to practise law. 

I have worked as both a crown prosecutor and defence lawyer in two law firms and then as a Judge and Ombudsman before being appointed as Governor-General in August 2006.  As the usual term for a Governor-General is five years, in just over two months’ time our tenure at Government House will come to an end.

My career has on many occasions placed me in close proximity with leadership.  And with each change in my professional life my definition of leadership has expanded. 

As I have mentioned, people define leadership differently.  Some define it by vision, some by charisma, and some by the ability to inspire others. My own experience of leadership tells me that there are two words that leaders resonate—trust and respect.

Key leadership qualities include an ability to listen, being professional in dealings with others, and displaying integrity, honesty and respect.  Leaders need to keep their feet on the ground and to recognise that it is their purpose to serve. 

These are qualities that resonate with cultural norms of the Pacific.  Respect for others and particularly for elders, and of reciprocity, are key values in all Pacific cultures.

There is a Samoan saying that goes that it is through service that we become leaders.  Many people know me as Governor-General, and one who has been a lawyer, Judge and Ombudsman.  But I value, personally, just as highly, the variety of voluntary work I have undertaken. 

For example, I worked as a volunteer in New Zealand’s first Citizen’s Advice Bureau, which was established in Ponsonby in 1970.  As a newly qualified lawyer dealing with a daily diet of criminal cases, it widened my understanding about New Zealand society and the issues which people outside of my circle dealt with on a daily basis.

Likewise, I have also served my profession as a member of the Council of the Auckland District Law Society and indulged my passion for sport as a member of the New Zealand Rugby League Board and Secretary of its Rules and Interpretations Board.   This work not only allowed me to use my skills for the betterment of the community, but also widened horizons.

Alongside all of this, I have tried to remain connected with my role as a husband, father and, since February 2009, as a grandfather three times over.  I have never forgotten how fortunate I have been in having a loving wife in Susan and a supportive family without whom none of my professional achievements would have been possible.

There is an old saying that "actions speak louder than words."  What you do in life says as much about who you are, and your commitment to those values, as what you say.  Your deeds can be a positive example to others that promote positive change. 

Leadership can take many forms.  Throughout the year, there are investiture ceremonies at the Government Houses in Wellington or Auckland where awards are conferred by the Governor-General to recognise those who have achieved in commerce, community and public service.  Some of those achievements are at a local level and others at the national or international level.  All, however, have shown leadership.

Another quality of leadership is courage.  Later this month, I will host Government House ceremonies where the bravery of an exceptional group of New Zealanders will be acknowledged.  Detailed in a special list in April this year, they will the courageous exploits of New Zealanders who placed their own lives in danger to save others.  In some cases, those deeds cost them their own lives.

Courage need not be a quality confined to physical deeds.  While we all value qualities such as honesty, humility, kindness and integrity, none can exist without courage. As Winston Churchill said:  “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

Having the courage of one's convictions includes holding fast to values—such as honesty, justice and ethical conduct—and if necessary in the face of others who would give expediency a higher priority.

As public servants of Pacific descent, with the potential to become senior managers, no-one of these qualities are the preserve of a particular cultural group.  They are values one would expect from all those who serve the New Zealand at its highest levels.

But what people of Pacific can bring to the senior levels of the public service, in addition to the values I have mentioned earlier of respect, reciprocity and service, is a colourful cultural heritage that stretches back through the islands of the Pacific to Asia.

Earlier I mentioned meeting the O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi.  As a former Prime Minister of Samoa, he has a long history of public service to his country, and to the Pacific, and is a leading authority on Samoan culture, language and tradition.

In his remarks to the Emerging Pacific Leaders Dialogue Conference in Samoa in March this year, His Highness Tui Atua emphasised that Pacific indigenous navigation was a powerful metaphor for Pacific leadership.  He said, and I quote:  "True leadership for our peoples requires having pride and vision, the courage of conviction, and a belief in ourselves, in our Pacific heritages and in the need to protect that heritage."

It is a powerful comment that speaks to the shared heritage of all Pacific people as explorers.  Guided by a knowledge of the stars, currents, cloud formations and bird migrations, these master mariners and navigators were able to settle some of the last and remotest parts of the Earth to be settled by humanity.  They did all of this when European explorers were fearful of setting sail to the west and into the Atlantic Ocean in case they might fall off the edge of the world.

This cultural tradition of exploration links all the peoples of the Pacific and which speaks of peoples with a proud and noble heritage.  Those leaders from another time should provide inspiration to the leaders of tomorrow who are here today.

And on that note I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, by offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.