Petone Rotary Club

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

May I specifically greet you: Warwick Johnston, Our host and Immediate Past President of the Petone Rotary Club; Tony Fryer and Kevin Stratton, Rotary District Governor and Assistant Governor respectively and your spouses; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for the invitation to my wife Susan and I to attend the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Petone.

My contribution should properly begin with an apology.  As will be known, I was originally set down to be here almost a year ago, but tripping on a kerb in Christchurch and breaking a bone in my ankle put paid to that idea at a late stage.

As a Rotarian of some years, I know only too well the importance of an agreement, so I then agreed to address your club in September last year. 

However, duty called and I was asked by the Government to undertake a State Visit to India, the first such visit by a New Zealand Governor-General.  So I had to apologise again.

And while the Roman historian Titus Livius is attributed with the famous saying, "Better late than never," I note that George Bernard Shaw once rejoindered with the statement: "Better never than late."

Either way, I'm here now!  When Warwick Johnston originally asked me to speak to your club, I was just 18 months into the job and he, not surprisingly, asked me to speak not only about the role of the Governor-General, but also about the transition from being Anand Satyanand, citizen, to Anand Satyanand, Governor-General.

But as of 23 February (last Thursday) we are half way through what is normally a five year term, issues of transition are now somewhat behind both myself and Susan.  Barring a constitutional crisis, which no New Zealand Governor-General has thankfully ever had to deal with, with last year's election and swearing in of the new government, we have together been exposed to one instance of every usual aspect of the role.

So rather than talking about transition, I thought it better to talk about the role from the mid-point and looking forward to the next two-and-a-half years.

And of course, since the closure of Government House Wellington, we are now near neighbours, having recently moved into Government House Vogel in Lower Hutt.

The closure of Government House Wellington has certainly been a mission.  I understand that in packing up the House more than 46,000 individual items were identified, catalogued and either placed into storage, or were sent to Government House Auckland, Government House Vogel or off for restoration or display.  For example, The famous Norrie Collection of paintings, donated by the late Sir Willoughby Norrie at the end of his term in 1957, are to go display at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from the end of April. 

I should say at the outset, that while we are at the mid-point, the role continues to challenge us both.  It is a privilege to serve and while we have learnt much, each day continues to be different from the day before. 

And naturally there have been some lighter moments along the way.  Last year, when we visited Matamata, we were welcomed by a former Minister of the Crown who told those gathered: "and it is very good, Your Excellency, that you have brought Mrs Baragwanath with you as well"!

As you can imagine as a lawyer and former judge and ombudsman, I have some knowledge of the workings of our government processes, but it is only when one is in the job that you realise how much is involved.   From the first piece of legislation I signed into law-the Coroner's Act 2006-I have since lost count of the numbers of laws and regulations there have been to consider and sign.

There has been the singular experience of signing into law the largest piece of legislation ever passed by our Parliament, which you will probably not be surprised to find was the Income Tax Act 2007.  At 2,855 pages long it covered four volumes.  The Minister of Revenue, Hon Peter Dunne, assured me that despite its doorstop size it was better worded and that it repealed an even larger amount of incomprehensible law.

As Governor-General, I have three roles-the constitutional, the ceremonial and that to do with community leadership.  Each is of constant interest and I am fortunate with regard to the ceremonial and community, the latter two "C's", to be hugely supported by Susan.

Being Governor-General is unlike any other job.  One is not a celebrity or out to gather votes or to seek popularity.  Even so, we continue to greeted with genuine warmth, whether it is in the Far North, the Far South-Stewart Island, or the Far East-the Chatham Islands that is.  The Far West-the West Coast of the South Island-we will visit in a couple of weeks when we will attend many events notably, and with enthusiasm combined with reservation, the Wild Foods Festival.

In my previous careers, I was more often than not involved in focusing on or resolving inherently negative matters and on the lookout for the error, blemish, mistake or bad act.  As a lawyer it was prosecuting or defending someone accused of a criminal offence.  As a judge, presiding over trials and sentencing those convicted.  As an ombudsman, it was attempting to mediate and resolve grievances between members of the public and governmental agencies whether to do with actions or provision of official information.

As Governor-General, Susan and I have been privileged to see and New Zealand and New Zealanders at their best.  Investiture and award ceremonies are a case in point.  The deeds of the people who receive the highest honours are well known to us all. 

But equally as interesting, and rarely as well known, are the stories of those who receive the Queen's Service Medal or are awarded the life membership of a particular charity.  Invariably they have worked tirelessly, often for years on end, providing vital community services or support or working on key community projects.  

Some have been involved with schools, others with environmental causes, some as fire fighters or volunteer paramedics, and some with sports or Maori or ethnic groups.  But they have all shown leadership, engagement with their communities and an underlying recognition that enjoying the rights and benefits of a democracy also involves obligations and responsibilities.

The Governor-General's role is one I have found to be hugely challenging. Every day is different and it is never at all a 9-5 job.  There are more than 400 engagements every year and my contribution tonight is the twentieth speech I have prepared and made in the last month.

Susan and I will often attend three or four functions a day.  Attending and speaking at a dinner will be followed by meeting a community group the following morning and speaking to a reception in the late afternoon.  Ably supported by the experienced staff of Government House, I am briefed and advised on all these engagements. 

One sees people in all sorts of emotions - happy, tense, sad and excited.  An incident that sticks in my mind was the investiture of a 96 year-old Christchurch man, Percy Lee, at Government House in Wellington in April last year. The elderly and diminutive Mr Lee quickly walked in a sprightly manner up the ramp to receive his QSM for services to the Chinese community.  But before I could put out my hand to greet him, he raised his arms in the air, exclaimed "Oh Governor-General" and excitedly gave me a big hug, much to the amusement of everyone present-not the least myself.

So what do I see as the challenges of the next two-and-a-half years?  In my speeches I have consistently stressed key themes-the richness and challenges of New Zealand's increasingly diverse cultural mix, the need for greater community engagement and for civic education.  
On New Year's Day, I issued my first New Year message in which I stressed the importance of community engagement and voluntary service, which should come as no surprise to the members of a Rotary Club.

In that message, I emphasised that the spirit of volunteerism is the glue that holds our society and economy together, and that our health, education and social service sectors would grind to a halt without the countless hours of voluntary work many people provide. 

I also noted that voluntary work not only has its own intrinsic benefits-making friends and even offers of employment-but it also adds strength to our wider communities.

But I am equally convinced that the voluntary sector will have a particularly important role to play in the difficult years ahead.
According to economists, New Zealand and the wider world face the most challenging economic times since the time of the Great Depression in the 1930s.  The strength of our communities will be tested in a way that few can recall.

The community projects that service organisations such as Rotary undertake, and the fundraising support you give to other essential services, will be invaluable in providing a focus for communities under stress.

The leadership shown by groups like Rotary will play a vital role and I issue a challenge for you to pick up that mantle and to run with it.
It will not be an easy time for service organisations either as sources of fundraising may run dry.  But where businesses might have simply provided a monetary donation to a project, they may instead be willing to provide labour or assistance in other ways.

Given those challenges, I cannot think of a more appropriate comment with which to conclude than one from Abraham Lincoln who, at the height of the American Civil War, spoke to Congress in the following words:   "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves."

And on that note, I will close in New Zealand's first language Māori, 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.