Speech
Republic of Ireland - State Visit
President McAleese, An Tanaiste, distinguished guests. Tena koutou katoa. In the language of our Maori people, I greet you all.
It is a great honour for my husband Peter and me to be here this evening and to receive such a warm welcome here in Ireland.
For my husband Peter there is a family connection here which adds an interesting personal dimension to our trip. So our family has a very direct link to Ireland, but so do many other New Zealanders.
As we all know, the people of Ireland played an integral part in the establishment of New Zealand. The first people from Ireland arrived in New Zealand in the late 18th Century and there have been a number Irishmen who fulfilled most prominent roles. Captain William Hobson, Queen Victoria's representative in the signing of our founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was born in Waterford. A statue of John Ballance, was born in Glenavy, became Premier of New Zealand in 1891 and was influential in universal suffrage, today graces the forecourt of our parliamentary library. And one of our most famous Prime Ministers, William Ferguson Massey, was born at Limavady.
Today, an astonishing 18% of our population claim Irish ancestry. And the friendship between our countries is strong. New Zealand and Ireland are part of a common community of values - we are democratic, and we promote human rights - these commonalities transcend the thousands of kilometres distance that separates us.
Over the years there have been a significant number of ministerial and official visits in both directions including our own Minister of Foreign Affairs who visited recently and had productive discussions with Minister Dermott Ahern.
We share similar perspectives and are supporters of the multilateral system, where we are leading and active members of a UN nuclear non-proliferation group. New Zealand has been pleased to support Irish appointments to international bodies and New Zealand has been pleased to receive Irish support for other appointments.
New Zealand is proud to have contributed to peace and development in Northern Ireland through membership of the International Fund for Ireland. And it was a great honour for New Zealand peacekeepers to work side-by-side with Irish counterparts in East Timor, and we were grateful for this demonstrable commitment and interest in the security of our region. Let us all hope that the recent upsurge in violence there can be curbed and that peace can once again reign in East Timor.
I want to speak briefly about trade, something that for us, as a nation located in the far reaches of the globe, is of essential importance. We have, unfortunately for us, a slightly, shall we say, unbalanced trade balance. In other words, it is very much in your favour. However, I am pleased to note that New Zealand wines have a strong and growing market presence in Ireland. I understand that the quality and style of New Zealand wine is much appreciated by discerning Irish wine enthusiasts.
New Zealand cannot replicate Ireland's position on the geographical rim of a major international market, the EU, we have been keen observers of your economic progress over the past decade.
NZ has watched the transformation of the Irish economy from its agrarian and traditional manufacturing base to one increasingly based on the high technology and internationally traded services sectors.
The New Zealand economy is also changing, and both our countries face similar economic and infrastructure challenges. We must continue to improve productivity and infrastructure to remain competitive. These may be areas where we can cooperate more.
Madame President, unfortunately we only have a few short days here in Ireland but that is no reflection on the warmth and depth of our relationship. Our peoples are intertwined in perpetuity and our cultures cover a lot of common ground. And driving through parts of Ireland I needed the odd double take to make sure I was really here and not back home, so similar are our landscapes.
Our connections are deeply felt, and this makes this evening here for us very special. I thank you again for your warm welcome and would like to propose a toast.
To President McAleese and the people of Ireland.
Tena koutou katoa.