State Dinner for the President of Singapore
May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the Realm of New Zealand - 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 evening and the sun has set (Sign)
May I specifically greet you: Your Excellencies, President Sellapan Rama Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore and Mrs Nathan and fellow members of the Singaporean Delegation; Your Excellency, Miss Seetoh Hoy Cheng, Singapore's High Commissioner to New Zealand and Deputy Dean of the Diplomatic Corps; Your Excellency Mr Martin Harvey, New Zealand's High Commissioner to Singapore; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.
My wife Susan and I, welcome you to Government House for this State Dinner. To our Singaporean visitors, may I say: Welcome; Selamat Datang; Huan ying and Vanakkam.
Your Excellency—I want first to register thanks for your visit to us in New Zealand. My wife, Susan, and I have the privilege to declare that to you, on behalf of all New Zealanders.
The relationship between our two countries is friendly, marked by warmth, familiarity and co-operation. High-level bilateral visits take place on a regular basis with the Prime Minister, Defence Ministers and Foreign and Trade Ministers meeting with their Singaporean counterparts at least once a year.
The Prime Minister herself, Helen Clark, plus Ministers Winston Peters, Annette King, Phil Goff and Harry Duynhoven all visited Singapore last year. The Singaporean Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited New Zealand in 2007. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong most recently visited in June 2006. We also have, between us, regular high-level foreign policy talks, as well as high-level consultations on defence policy.
Indeed, my predecessor as Governor-General, Silvia Cartwright was warmly received when she visited Singapore in June 2005 and so it is a pleasure to welcome you to Government House in Wellington this evening.
Your Excellencies, New Zealand's relationship with Singapore is among our country's most substantial and significant in South East Asia. The frequency and breadth of official contacts has created a highly valued atmosphere of trust and confidence. This allows us to speak frankly to each other about a host of important international issues.
The relationship between Singapore and New Zealand is multi-faceted and now includes well-developed foreign policy, economic and trade, people-to-people, and defence and security components. In recent years the depth of the relationship has been increased by engagement in such things as science co-operation, and the promotion of shared interests in the evolution of outward looking regionalism.
The defence relationship dates back more than 50 years and involves regular bilateral and multilateral exercises. New Zealand undertakes an extensive range of military exercises with Singapore, making your country New Zealand's second largest defence partner in the Asia-Pacific region.
So mature is the defence relationship that Singaporean troops were integrated seamlessly into the New Zealand Area of Operations in Timor-Leste. The attachment of a Singaporean platoon to the New Zealand battalion in Timor-Leste in 2001 was Singapore's first experience in contributing ground troops to a peacekeeping operation and was much appreciated by the New Zealand Defence Force. More recently, Singaporean Armed Forces personnel have been working alongside the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan. The ability to work together on operations both reflects and reinforces the strength of the bilateral defence relationship.
In addition to the defence relationship, symbolised in the 1971 Five Power Defence Agreement, many other formal agreements have been negotiated. The Closer Economic Partnership signed in 2001 was a groundbreaking bilateral trade agreement and was followed by the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership in 2005. In addition to the Work Exchange Programme Agreement of 1999, we have signed an Audio-visual Co-production Agreement in 2004 and initiated significant research co-operation, particularly in the life sciences. These are innovative and exciting areas of co-operation that offer much to both our countries.
These agreements have seen trade between our two countries flourish, with two-way trade close to $3 billion. Milk powder, butter, fresh milk and seafood dominate New Zealand's exports to Singapore while we have received in return petroleum oils, light vessels, transmission equipment, computers and ethylene polymers.
Singapore is also an important source of investment for New Zealand, with direct foreign investment in 2007 worth more than NZ$1.6 billion. As well, I am advised that more than 27,000 Singaporean residents visited New Zealand in 2007.
New Zealand and Singapore also share many other linkages. We are both members of APEC, which Singapore will host next year, and the Commonwealth, and share a common tradition of Westminster-style parliamentary government. Singapore is a founding member, and current chair of ASEAN. New Zealand also values its relationship with ASEAN and in 2005 we acceded to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Co-operation and signed the ASEAN-New Zealand Joint Declaration to Combat International Terrorism. Singapore is also a close partner for New Zealand in the East Asia Summit process.
In conclusion, Your Excellencies, New Zealand highly values its strong, friendly and multifaceted relationship with Singapore. I trust that you will enjoy your State Visit to New Zealand, the first time you have visited our country in your role as President. Of course, I know you have visited many times before and I hope that your schedule will also allow you time to reconnect with many of your old friends living here.
On that note, I will I close in New Zealand's first language, Maori, by offering greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.