Pulman Lodge opening

To view more images, click here

Introduction and acknowledgements
Ka tangi te titi.  Ka tangi te kaka, Ka tangi ahau. Rau Rangatira ma, o tēnei rohe o Tamaki ki te Tonga Ka tautoko i ngā korero o te paepae tapu, Kia ora tātou katoa.  Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all.

I specifically acknowledge: Jenny Herring, Chairperson of the Bruce Pulman Park Trust and your fellow trustees, and specifically Bruce Pulman; Hon Judith Collins, MP for Papakura; Hon George Hawkins, MP for Manurewa; and Dr Paul Hutchison, MP for Hunua; and members of the Auckland Council. 

Thank you for inviting me and my wife Janine to the opening of the Pulman Lodge.  As Governor-General, I will soon have the privilege of unveiling a plaque to officially open this new facility.  However, before I do that I would like to speak about the value of sport and of this new complex.

New Zealanders and sport
New Zealanders love sport.  We love to play sport, we love to watch sport and we love to talk about it—not necessarily in that order!  And we love watching our athletes and sporting teams take on the best in the world.  And most of all, we love it when they win!

Sport seems to be wired into our DNA.  If someone asked me why New Zealanders love playing and participating in sport, I think the best answer would be to paraphrase the often-quoted mountaineers’ creed : “because it’s there.”  For a small country, New Zealanders’ competitiveness in sport is outstanding.

The value of sport
The importance of sport is about more than competition, however.  Playing and participating in sport is good for our health, it brings people together and is an opportunity to celebrate achievements. The success of the Rugby World Cup, for example, was about more than the All Blacks’ win, important as that was.  The success of the tournament was also more than good marketing and good organisation, important as that was.  To me, what was most important, was the support of local communities embracing the notion of a “stadium of 4 million people” and making it their own. 

Sport also underpins fundamental values that New Zealanders hold dear, including voluntary service.  Most sport in this country is underpinned by tireless and often unsung efforts of people in sporting clubs who work as administrators and turn out week after week as referees, officials and coaches.  Almost all of this work is unpaid and completely voluntary.  Again, the Rugby World Cup provides a good example, with more than 5,500 volunteers willingly giving of their time to be involved with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Sport underpins other key values that New Zealanders celebrate—innovation and excellence.  Sport is now an international business where people with innovative and creative ideas are highly sought after.  Given New Zealanders’ success in sport, it’s not surprising that New Zealanders play in leading roles in sport ventures throughout the world. The America’s Cup is a good example where New Zealanders participate at senior levels in many of the major franchises and also design the world-class yachts on which the sailors compete.

The Pulman Lodge
Innovation and excellence rely on more than just raw talent.  For young people who want to be the best they can be, it also relies on mentoring and coaching, both on and off the field.

That is where the Pulman Lodge will play a critical role.  Situated near Bruce Pulman Park, with its multitude of world-class sporting facilities, the Lodge is an accommodation complex built and designed to international standards. 

In addition to the facilities you would expect in any accommodation lodge, there is also a fitness and recovery gymnasium, hydrotherapy pools, team and conference rooms and the on-site services of specialists in physiotherapy, sports medicine, nutrition and psychology.

It is the ideal venue for sports teams that are preparing for a major event, either in New Zealand or overseas.  They can train at the park during the morning and then undertake strategy, fitness and gym sessions back here in the afternoon.

This facility will also be the ideal venue for community meetings, corporate team building, residential courses and school and sport training camps.

I congratulate the Bruce Pulman Park Trust for its initiative in establishing this venue to compliment the other sporting facilities it has built in recent years.  I also want to thank the many community funders whose support has allowed the Trust to build this more than $8 million facility without any debt funding. 

When it was established more than a decade ago, the Trust set itself a goal of providing the people of South Auckland with access to the highest quality passive, recreational and competitive sports facilities to improve their fitness, well-being and pride.  With the opening of this Lodge, it has again delivered on this vision beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.  And with further facilities in the pipeline, including a sports science laboratory in association with AUT University, it looks set to continue to do so.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the Pulman Lodge is without doubt the jewel in the crown of the facilities created by the Trust.  It supports that most fundamental of kiwi passions—sport and recreation—by providing a venue where our best sportsmen and women can strive for excellence in a home away from home.  It is also a fantastic community venue and will have a multitude of uses.  Congratulations again to everyone who has been involved in bringing this project to fruition.

As Governor-General, it gives me great pleasure to declare the Pulman Lodge officially open. Kia ora, kia kaha, huihui tātou katoa.