Speech
Rotary Club of Dunedin
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 afternoon (Sign)
May I specifically greet you: Malcolm Dixon, President of the Rotary Club of Dunedin; Past District Governors, John Henderson and Doug Graham; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Your Worship Peter Chin, Mayor of Dunedin; Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with pleasure that my wife Susan and I join you for this luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Dunedin. At the outset I should state how comfortable it is to again be in the company of Rotarians and spouses, having been for a number of years a foot soldier member and, now, honorary member of the Rotary Club of Wellington.
Indeed, I had joined the escalator that Rotary members know of as being in the holding room of proto President before being elected to be President of the Club. I was then appointed to this role and there were some murmurings in the Club that suggested that I had taken the Governor-General appointment simply as a convoluted way of avoiding the presidency!
As one who has been a lawyer, judge, ombudsman and now Governor-General I continue to value the knowledge and skills able to be gained and enjoyed as a Rotarian. It is in giving back to the community that one learns in Rotary that one receives so much in return. Even with that background and with a view to what is immediately ahead of me, I can well understand the wit of Pulitzer Prize winning columnist from the Miami Herald, Dave Barry, who once wrote: "All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears-of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words ‘Some Assembly Required.'"
More seriously, the success of service clubs like Rotary lies in their positive support for the community, focusing on those matters with which members are in agreement. This Club has been doing that since 1923 and, I understand, was the first Rotary club established in the city.
This club was formed just 18 years after four men-Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram Shorey, and Paul P. Harris-met in Madame Gallis' Italian restaurant in Dearborn Street, Chicago and formed the world's first Rotary Club in Chicago on 23 February 1905. Today, there are 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries, all ostensibly committed to the notion of "service above self".
For Susan and I, it is now just a couple of weeks since the third anniversary of when I was sworn in on the steps of Parliament as the personal representative of the Queen of New Zealand. 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 at least one instance of every usual aspect of the role.
We are thus three years into what is normally a five year journey and I would like to make some brief comment on that journey to date and some view of the days ahead.
An abiding feature is the closure of Government House Wellington. 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, to Government House Vogel or off for restoration or display.
Susan and I have had inspection visits of the project and it is fascinating to see the work underway, including reroofing, strengthening and installation of a massive service trench under the House that stretches from one end to the other. To those who refer to it as a refurbishment, the architectural equivalent of cosmetic surgery, I have often replied that it is more like a triple by-pass and a double hip replacement!
It is also slightly unnerving being in a place we had become very close to in two years, being much more than laid bare. I am advised that the project is on track to be completed in mid-2011.
The closure of the House has, however, given us the opportunity to look afresh at the way the Governor-General role. Yesterday we hosted an investiture ceremony at Larnach Castle here in Dunedin and earlier this year held a similar ceremony in Christchurch, bringing one aspect of the role closer to all New Zealanders.
As an aside, the reference to Larnach Castle brings to mind a story of its namesake that I discovered recently in the history of Premier House in Wellington. The history of that house notes, of the period when Sir Julius and Lady Vogel lived there in the 1880s, the following:
"At one of Lady Vogel's fancy dress balls, banker and politician W.J.M. Larnach ... resplendent in scarlet jumper, top boots and diamond breast pin, gave a dazzling display on the front lawn of his prowess with the stockwhip and almost succeeded in slicing off his own ear."
While Susan and I are now past the mid-point of the term-ears well intact I might add-the role continues to challenge us both, in the best of ways. It is a privilege to serve in it and while we have learnt much, each day continues to be different from the day before.
As you might imagine my career as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman had provided me with some knowledge of the workings of our government processes, but it is only when one is in the job that the extent of what is involved is distilled. I have now lost count of the numbers of laws and regulations I have signed since assenting to the Coroners Act 2006.
As Governor-General, there are three roles-constitutional, ceremonial and community leadership. Each is of constant interest and I am fortunate, particularly with regard to the ceremonial and community, that I am hugely supported by Susan.
Being Governor-General is a singular role-there is nothing that compares with it. One is not a celebrity or out to gather votes or to seek popularity. Even so, we continue to be greeted with genuine warmth having visited all four corners of New Zealand from Cape Reinga in the north, to Stewart Island in the South, the Chatham Islands in the east and the West Coast in the west. There remain only odd pockets like the King Country where we have not yet visited.
In my previous careers, I was often involved in focusing on or resolving inherently negative matters. 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 resolve grievances between members of the public and governmental agencies.
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 Māori 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.
We have seen that so evidently in our trip to Dunedin, investing 21 New Zealanders or visiting Strath Taieri School and having lunch with volunteers from Rural Women and Plunket in Middlemarch. Later today we are visiting the ReStore facility and a Housing for Humanity Project.
The Governor-General's role is one I have found to be continually absorbing. Every day is different and it is not a 9-5 job. There are several hundred engagements every year and my contribution tonight is one more than 45 speeches I have delivered since the start of July and Susan has also given a number of speeches in the same period.
We will sometimes attend as many as three 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. Supported by experienced staff of Government House, we are briefed and advised on all these engagements.
So what do I see as the challenges of the next two years? In my speeches I have developed and stressed these key themes-the richness and challenges of New Zealand's increasingly diverse cultural mix, the need for greater community engagement and benefits of civic education.
On New Year's Day, I issued a 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.
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 that it also adds strength to our wider communities.
But I am equally convinced that the voluntary sector is playing an important role in the current difficult time as New Zealand and the world face the most challenging economic times in many years.
The community projects that service organisations such as Rotary undertake, and the fundraising support you give to other essential services, is invaluable in providing a focus for communities under stress. The leadership shown by groups such as yours will be vital.
I understand that in addition to the many projects Rotary is committed, that your club has been heavily involved in the Orokonui Ecosanctuary at Waitati, not only fundraising but also get stuck in building tracks. While the Orokonui facility is still in its infancy, as a former resident of the Wellington suburb of Kelburn, I can personally vouch for the wonders that the nearby Karori Wildlife Sanctuary has done for the bird life in the city. The number of tui and kaka and other native birds has literally changed the city's soundscape!
In conclusion, despite the difficult days ahead, I remain positive about our nation's prospects. That positive outlook rests on many factors, not the least being the strong spirit of volunteerism. There's also the can-do attitude and an inherent tolerance of those who are different that New Zealanders do well at. Maybe it is because of our isolation-two islands tucked away in the South Pacific-that we can be overly self-critical at times but a little introspection never hurt anyone. The point was well made by Saatchi and Saatchi and former Lion Corporation Chief Executive, Kevin Roberts, who said: "We were the last to be discovered and the first to see the light. This makes us one of the great experimental cultures. We try things first. Whether its votes for women, the welfare state or the market economy, powered flight, nuclear physics, anti-nuclearism, biculturalism. First-isms. The New in New Zealand is our reason to exist."
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.