Samoa State Visit

'Ou te fiafia e fa'atalofa atu i lo 'outou mamalu ua fa'atasi mai i lenei po.

'Ua lagona lava le agaga fiafia, 'ua maua lenei avanoa e tatou te feiloai ai. 

It is a pleasure to greet you all here tonight.  I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet you all.

Honorable Member of the Council of Deputies.

Honourable Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

Honourable Members of the Cabinet.

Honorable President of the Samoan Court of Appeal, Honorable Chief Justice and members of the judiciary.

Respected Ministers of the Churches.

Members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

My husband and I are delighted to be with you this evening.  Let me begin by expressing our sincere appreciation to His Highness the Head of State and to you Prime Minister and your government for the warm hospitality that has been extended to us on this visit.  It is indeed a pleasure to visit your beautiful country.

I was delighted recently to welcome you Prime Minister to Government House on your official visit to New Zealand in August.  During your visit New Zealand and Samoa also commemorated the 41st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship between our two countries. 

The Treaty of Friendship commemorations were instituted by your late Prime Minister, Tofilau Eti Alesana.  I am pleased that both Governments have decided to continue the practice. 

The commemorations are a reminder of the essence of our relationship.  It is a relationship based on friendship, mutual respect and trust.  They are also a reminder that we should not let complacency guide our relations.  Rather we should continue to build on our shared history, cultural ties and common interests to broaden and strengthen our relationship.  New Zealand wants to build an even stronger friendship with Samoa in the future.

The Samoan community in New Zealand plays a significant role in ensuring that the relationship at the people to people level remains vibrant and close.

Although this is my first official visit to Samoa, I have experienced a comfortable sense of familiarity.  I attribute this not only to the links between the Polynesian peoples of New Zealand and Samoa, but also to familiarity with the Samoan culture in a New Zealand context.

The Samoan community in New Zealand makes a substantial contribution to the diversity of New Zealand culture, including literature, art, music, and from opera to rap.  Samoan New Zealanders also make a significant input into political and community life in New Zealand.  The presence here tonight of Hon Taito Phillip Field, Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs, is testament to that fact.

In my own profession I have seen the contribution that Samoan lawyers have made in the legal field.  New Zealand has appointed the first Samoan judge to the District Court bench at Manukau, and appointed the first Samoan woman judge to the Youth Court.

And no one can forget the contribution of Samoans to New Zealand rugby.  But it is time for New Zealand to return the favour and work towards making a contribution to Samoan rugby.

New Zealanders watched with awe as Manu Samoa came close to causing the biggest upset of the World Cup.  You have the right to be extremely proud of their stunning performance against England, the top ranked team.  It was a thrilling display of passion, versatility and skill. 

Let me assure you that the pleas of Samoa have been heard - by rugby commentators, by the rugby bosses, by the New Zealand Government, and even by the IRB.  Let us all hope that this translates into action.  New Zealanders, passionate about rugby as we are, want to see Manu Samoa at the next World Rugby Cup in 2007.  It would be a catastrophe for the game of rugby if it were not.

We have sympathy with the difficulty that Manu Samoa has experienced in fighting against the big boys.  Within the Pacific region it is only by banding together and joining forces that the small nations of the Pacific can make their voice heard.

This is why the institution of the Pacific Islands Forum is so important to us.  It is the key vehicle for regional cooperation in the Pacific.  It plays a major role in promoting the economic development of the Pacific region, by encouraging improved trade and economic links, and the sustainable development of resources.

This year the 34th Pacific Islands Forum meeting was held in Auckland, chaired by the New Zealand Prime Minister.  The Auckland Forum was significant in the agreement of Leaders to undertake a review of the Forum and its Secretariat.  The purpose is to provide a refreshed mandate and vision for the Pacific Islands Forum.  One that allows it to provide leadership to the region on regional cooperation and integration and that closely reflects the aspirations and needs of the Forum membership.

The review is to be undertaken by an Eminent Persons Group that includes Samoa's Ombudsman, Maiava Iulai Toma.  Samoa's representation on the Eminent Persons Group demonstrates its commitment to the Forum as a regional institution and its role as a constructive player in the region.

Our interaction at the Forum also illustrates that New Zealand and Samoa share a common interest in a stable and prosperous Pacific neighbourhood.  In this context I congratulate Samoa on its willingness to commit Police personnel to the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands.  I also commend Samoa for its highly valued contribution to the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor.  If the fine guard of honour with which they greeted me on arrival is anything to go by, the Samoan Police Forces will continue to acquit themselves admirably in such missions abroad.

Internationally, my own experience is with the Committee monitoring compliance with the United Nations Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  I congratulate Samoa for having submitted its first national report on the implementation of CEDAW in Samoa.  Today I met with some of your women leaders and can attest to the significant role that tina ma tama'ita'i have always played and continue to play in Samoa.  I have learned that the strength of the Samoan family, which is itself at the heart of Samoan culture, can be attributed to the role that Samoan women play in society.

Tomorrow I shall visit your "Big Island" of Savaii, where I hope to see more of the traditional way of life in Samoa.  I will also be visiting a few of the development projects that New Zealand has supported.  The development assistance partnership is yet another of the myriad strands to the relationship between our two countries.  As a partnership, it is conducted in an open and consultative manner, and through support to Samoa's own development policies and strategies. 

In a more general sense, regular dialogue and open communication brings increased understanding.  And shared values and understanding are at the heart of the relationship between Samoa and New Zealand.  As friends, we should continue to put effort into understanding each other and learning from each other.

It just remains, Prime Minister, to thank you and your Government once again for the most gracious, very warm, and very generous hospitality extended to us during our visit.

May God Bless Samoa and continue to bring her peace, prosperity and much happiness.

Soifua ma ia Maniua.