Waitangi Day Commemorations

Nga hau e wha, nga iwi e tau nei, tena koutou, tena koutou.

People of the four winds, everyone gathered here, my greetings.

Nga mate, nga aitua, ki tangihia e tatou i tenei wa.  The dead and those being mourned, we lament for them now.

Te hunga ora, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.  But to the living, once again my warmest greetings.

[greeting of dignitaries]

This is the first time I have spoken as your Governor-General at an event held to mark Waitangi Day. It is both a great honour, and a great responsibility.  Standing here I have a deep sense of the history of this beautiful place.

Many of my predecessors will have experienced similar emotions.  Among those who have gone before me as Governor-General was a man who secured for all New Zealanders the land on which we stand and where Te Tiriti o Waitangi was first signed in 1840. 

Seventy years ago, Lord and Lady Bledisloe purchased 1000 acres of land for the nation. On that land stood the former British Residency, originally the home of James Busby and now known as the Treaty House. 

Two years later, in 1934, Lord Bledisloe visited Waitangi again, and on the fifth of February that year, an enormous crowd - some ten thousand Maori and many Pakeha from all parts of New Zealand - arrived to acknowledge his gift.  Among the guests was the Maori King Koroki.

Moved by the impressive gathering, Lord Bledisloe said:  "Waitangi, the birthplace of this nation, now belongs to all alike, Pakeha and Maori, North and South Islanders, and the descendants and champions of both sections of its courageous pioneers."

It was Lord Bledisloe's hope that, "the sacred compact made in these waters [should] be faithfully and honourably kept for all time to come."

The next day, Lord Bledisloe laid the foundation stone of the magnificent whare rununga, the meeting house built by Ngapuhi and adorned with the craftsmanship of iwi from many parts of New Zealand.

This too was an important symbolic act.  Building the Whare Runanga in such close proximity to the treaty house signified the relationship between Maori and Pakeha. 

Te Whare Rununga was later opened during centenary celebrations of the Treaty of Waitangi, celebrations planned by Sir Apirana Ngata and Tau Henare to draw attention to the partnership between Maori and non-Maori both at the founding of the nation and in the nation's continuing life. 

Te Whare Runanga was also to serve as a House of Assembly for representatives of all the iwi of Aotearoa. Perhaps for this reason Te Whare Runanga is sometimes referred to as the National Marae.

There are other important lessons to be learned from those early days on this land.  When Lord and Lady Bledisloe purchased the land and buildings here at Waitangi they established a Charitable Trust.  The Trust Board is the guardian of this place.

It has the responsibility of maintaining and developing it as a place of historic interest, recreation, enjoyment and benefit, for all New Zealanders.

This is a place where all our people, whatever their origins, whatever their cultural backgrounds, are entitled to stand and acknowledge their heritage and their identity as New Zealanders. 

This guiding principle is reinforced by the prescription that Lord and Lady Bledisloe had for the composition of the Trust Board.  To this day its members are descended from, or reflect the many different people who helped draft and translate the Treaty, who signed it, and who debated its merits and more recently, who are knowledgeable about its history and who represent people, both Maori and non Maori from many parts of New Zealand. The Waitangi National Trust Board members are passionate about this place and what it means for all who live in New Zealand. 

In the 162 years since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, there has always been debate and discussion at Waitangi. It has always been a place full of vitality - some would say, sometimes too much!

But it is the right of all New Zealanders to speak freely here.

It is also a place of togetherness and understanding and mutual respect, where New Zealanders can reflect on our history and look to our future.

It is a place to unite, not divide.

In his 1934 address, Lord Bledisloe called Waitangi the "Cradle of the nation".  There could be no more suitable description of this place. 

I would also like to mention another event that by sad chance took place on an anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. 

Fifty years ago, on 6^th February 1952, King George passed away in England. 

His daughter Elizabeth, a direct descendant of Queen Victoria, succeeded him.  For half a century, she has taken great interest in the Treaty grounds and in the issues that have arisen around te Tiriti.  And shortly, as Queen of New Zealand, she will be in Aotearoa as part of the celebrations to mark the 50^th anniversary of her accession to the Throne.

The Royal New Zealand Navy will mark this special occasion with a 21gun salute tomorrow morning.

It has been a privilege to be here today

I hope to return here next year and every year of my term as Governor-General. And particularly as chair of the Waitangi National Trust Board, I look forward to being able on this land, to reflect on the vision shared by Lord and Lady Bledisloe and the ten thousand New Zealanders who gathered here in 1934.

Na te Tiriti tatou i karanga ki konei;  waiho ano ma te Tiriti hei paihere.  The Treaty has brought us together.  May the Treaty bind us together.

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.