RNZ RSA 87th National Meeting

E te iwi whanui, tena koutou katoa. Nga hau e wha, e nga waka, e nga tai e wha, nga mihi nui ki a koutou.

David Cox (national president), Prime Minister the Rt Hon Helen Clark, Mayor Kerry Prendergast, the many distinguished guests here today, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you Mr President and members of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services' Association for inviting me to open this 87th national council meeting. Your invitation affirms the long-standing relationship between the association and the office of Governor-General, and it is one that I am proud to continue.

I am also delighted to read to you this message from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

"I much appreciate your kind message of loyal greetings sent on behalf of the Delegates of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services' Association on the occasion of their 87th National Council Meeting, which is being held in Wellington today.

As your Patron, I thank you for your congratulations on the 50th anniversary of my Coronation, and send my warm good wishes to all those present for an enjoyable gathering. Elizabeth R"

When we speak of the Association, we often talk about comradeship, and how that principle is mirrored in its work. We think of the many support services offered by the association to its members.

Today, however, I would like to acknowledge another side of the RSA - its work with young New Zealanders.

In recent times, warfare and its aftermath have been driven to the forefront of the New Zealand consciousness once more.

An entire new generation of New Zealanders has been confronted with its reality, as a result of technological wizardry delivering immediate images of conflict.

As our young strive to understand the dynamics of today's global discord, so too do they begin to comprehend the wars of yesteryear.

They recognise, of course, that those wars were very different to those of today. But they appreciate that loss of life and wartime injuries are a tragedy, whether they occur in 1940 or 2003.

That is why so many young people attend dawn services on Anzac Day each year. And as I have seen for myself at commemorations here in New Zealand, in Thailand at Hellfire Pass and at Gelibolu this year, they do understand what war is. And they do understand the sacrifices that you and your colleagues made in the past, in order that they might enjoy freedom.

That understanding is reinforced by the work the RSA does for New Zealand youth today.

The Life Education Trust works with school-aged children to promote healthy lifestyle choice messages, including education about drug and substance abuse. The charity's mobile classrooms tour schools nationwide, and the RSA has provided funding for three of those classrooms. More than 1.2 million children have benefited from attending them since the Trust's establishment.

The association has also been a strong supporter of Outward Bound. Local branches have sponsored many young people on to these excellent personal development courses.

The New Zealand Cadet Forces receive Association support every year, and the Association's Trophy for Cadet Community Services, introduced in 2001, is now highly-coveted among Cadet units. The relationship is further strengthened on Anzac Day, when the Cadets provide guards at commemorations, and on occasions such as Poppy Day collections, when Cadets assist.

The Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, which aims to extend and develop young people as responsible community members, is also a beneficiary of your generosity.

In fact, if one word could describe the attribute of your membership, that word would be generosity. Having already given above and beyond the call of duty at least once during your lifetimes, you choose to give again.  And in doing so, you make that link with young people - those whom many of you fought to ensure would never again experience the horrors of war -even more meaningful.

On behalf of all New Zealanders, I thank you all for yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's gifts to your country.

I declare the 87th National Council Meeting of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services' Association open.