Sir Anand Satyanand lecture

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.  Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the evening (Sign)

I then specifically greet you: Ravin Lal and Venkat Raman, Managing Director and Editor respectively of Indian Newslink Ltd; Master of Ceremonies, Rt Hon Paul East; Members of Parliament, Dr Rajen Prasad and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi; Putative Members of Parliament Hon John Banks and Dr don Brash; John Allen, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the inaugural presenter of the Sir Anand Satyanand Lecture; Your Excellency Admiral (Retired) Sureesh Mehta, High Commissioner for India to New Zealand; Hon Justice Patrick Keane, Judges Lex de Jong and Ian  McHardy; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.  And in the context of this gathering, I add the greetings: Namaste, Namashkar, Sat Sri Akal, Kam Cho, Salaam Wailaikum.

Thank you for inviting Susan and me to the inaugural Sir Anand Satyanand Lecture this evening.  Given, however, that the lecture bears my name, one might wager that it would have been unusual for us not to be here!  My brief is to provide some brief opening remarks and to introduce our speaker.

At outset I want to thank Indian Newslink and its management and staff, and particularly Venkat and Ravin, for organising this dinner and lecture.  It has the hallmark of a wonderful occasion and I trust it may provide an on-going focus for issues related to good governance in our country.

I will admit to have been in two minds about any suggestion that a lecture or series be named after me.  I brought to mind Oscar Wilde’s comment that: “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

Equally, I recalled the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, the American diplomat and First Lady of 60 years ago, who famously once said: “I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue reading: ‘no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall’.”

Incidentally, as is traditional for visiting Heads of State to Singapore, when Susan and I visited that country in an official capacity last year, we had an orchid named after us.  It makes us wonder whether I should go back and check the catalogue!

Seriously, however, I suspect putting one’s name to something goes with wearing the Governor-General jersey.  I have lost count of the number of plaques I have unveiled on schools, hospitals, and monuments since coming to the role on 23 August 2006. 

As the Governor-General term is normally five years, it follows that in a little over a months’ time, our tenure at Government House will draw to a close.

There were be other occasions when I will reflect on our time in the role.  However, it has been, without doubt, a privilege to serve New Zealand and New Zealanders as the 19th Governor-General.  It has been an honour as a New Zealander to represent the Head of State in New Zealand, and at the request of the Government to go and represent New Zealand’s interests in a number of ways in different parts of the world.

It seems a world away since I was admitted to the Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of what was then the Supreme Court, and is now the High Court of New Zealand, in 1970 here in Auckland.

Next year will mark 30 years since I became a public servant in the stricter sense of the word.  First, as a Judge with a jury trial warrant, in 1982.  There then followed two five-year terms as an Ombudsman from 1995, and then as Governor-General from 2006 until now.

The values we hold dear in life are not any birthright.  They are grounded in the values of parents, formed and shaped through education and through interactions with peers, colleagues and role models.

My parents instilled the importance of integrity in a professional life.  That formed a core for the approach I adopted in public service.  The quest in public service remains accountability, transparency and good governance. 

Mention of those concepts brings me to introducing our guest lecturer this evening, John Allen. Like myself, John comes from a legal background.  Whereas my career saw me take a more traditional route of lawyer and then judge, John’s career has moved in a different direction.

After becoming a partner in the law firm then known as Rudd, Watts & Stone, he joined New Zealand Post in 1996, holding a number of senior management roles before being appointed as chief executive in 2003.

New Zealand Post is an organisation that continues to be a leader in postal and delivery systems as well as now in banking.  It has continually defied those sceptics who, in 1987, suggested that the business would be a perennial loss maker for the Government.

In 2009, John’s career took another turn, when he was appointed Chief Executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  In that role he and his team are charged with operating a network of embassies throughout the world, and providing strategic advice to the Government on matters of New Zealand’s international relations.

The role holds the formal title of “Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”  Secretaries, in other guises, write agendas, take notes and keep minutes.  John is one speaker who does none of the above.  If there are any notes, they will most likely be scribbled on the back of his menu or a business card.

He is a notable speaker, and I can think of no better person to give an inaugural lecture bearing my name.

And on that note I will close in New Zealand’s first language, by 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.

Ladies and Gentlemen, will you please join me in welcoming John Allen for his address.