Speech
State Dinner for Sultan of Brunei Darussalam
To view images from the dinner, click here
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi katoa huri noa o Aotearoa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Te manuhiri tuārangi, te manuhiri waewaetapu nau mai haere mai. Na reira e te iwi, nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Kāwana o te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Selamut dating ki New Zealand. Saya mendokan semoga Kebawah Duli Yang Mulia Dan ahli kerabat diraja sentiasa dalam sihat sejahtera. (Welcome to New Zealand and good health to Your Majesty and your family.)
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, greetings to you all. To our esteemed guests who have travelled a long way to be here I extend a special welcome. Indeed, you are all very welcome to Government House.
I specifically acknowledge: Your Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and your honourable ministers; Rt Hon David Carter, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Hon Gerry Brownlie and Ministers of the Crown; Hon Phil Goff, representing the Leader of the Opposition; Members of the Diplomatic Corps—tēnā koutou katoa.
It is a real delight and honour for Janine and me to host this State Dinner for Your Majesty and to offer our hospitality to you and your delegation on behalf of the people of New Zealand.
Your Majesty, New Zealand and Brunei have a friendly and positive relationship that involves co-operation in many areas including trade, investment, education and defence. Next year our two countries will celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations.
Regular high level visits between our two countries have been a feature of our relationship. These include His Royal Highness, Prince Mohammad Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who visited New Zealand in August 2010; and your Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Lim Jock Seng, in July 2012. And of course, Your Majesty is no stranger to our shores, having visited several times now, including attending the APEC Leaders’ Summit in Auckland in 1999. My predecessor, Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand visited Brunei in October 2010 and New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Rt Hon John Key, is looking forward to participating in the East Asia Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei later in the year.
These visits have served to strengthen a number of pivotal multilateral and bilateral linkages between New Zealand and Brunei. In addition to Association of South East Asian Nations and the East Asia Summit process New Zealand and Brunei work together in APEC, the Commonwealth and the United Nations.
We are pleased that Brunei is the chair of ASEAN, and as a result will also chair the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum this year. We have every confidence that Brunei will show the leadership, insight and drive necessary to continue the momentum behind this welcomed regional co-operation. New Zealand acknowledges ASEAN’s centrality in these fora and its leading role in ensuring the region’s peace, stability and prosperity.
In that context we look forward to co-chairing with Brunei an ASEAN Regional Forum meeting on ship profiling in April, and the joint committee on the implementation of the Agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area this year.
Your Majesty, New Zealand is very satisfied with the collaboration and work it did with Brunei, Chile and Singapore in the innovative Trans Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, or P4, which was signed in August 2005. We remain assured as New Zealand and Brunei continue to work together in the expanded P4 agreement - the Trans Pacific Partnership - which has extended to further Pacific rim nations.
There is now a healthy level of two-way trade between our two countries: dairy and other primary products from New Zealand to Brunei, and crude oil and petroleum products from Brunei to New Zealand.
Your Majesty, there are other strands to our relationship. There are also growing links in education. A number of Bruneian students now study in New Zealand and New Zealand teachers work in Brunei.
From my previous career, I am conscious of the significant defence relationship in which you also have a strong interest. Military exercises, training assistance and annual discussions under the Mutual Assistance Programme have added substance and value to the relationship. The New Zealand Army’s Officer Cadet School regularly trains in Brunei’s jungle training areas as a part of its programme. Officers of Brunei’s military have participated in the New Zealand Defence Force’s various Command and Staff courses.
In conclusion, these numerous strands have created a relationship that is collaborative, supportive and mutually reinforcing. They bring into play a relationship that is both agreeable and close because in many ways they are built on people-to-people contact. In that vein, we greatly appreciated your generous contribution to the Christchurch earthquake appeal.
Your Majesty, I understand that Brunei’s full name translates in English as the “country of the abode of peace”. And so, in the spirit of peace and friendship, it gives me great pleasure, on behalf of all New Zealanders, to welcome you and your delegation to New Zealand. While our two nations are separated by many islands, and the waters of many seas including the Pacific Ocean, our relationship is one that New Zealand very much values.