Young Community Leaders Awards

To view more photos from the ceremony, click here.

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: Dick Fernyhough Chairman of the Wellington Community Trust and your fellow trustees Karen Sagaga, Alison Aldred, Oskar Alley, Jan Dowland, Frances Russell, Ben Irving, Carla Russell and Dawn Sanders;  Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, former Minister of the Crown and Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika) at the Victoria University of Wellington; Young Community Leaders award judges and nominees; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen. 

It is a great pleasure for Susan and I to welcome you all to Government House for the Wellington Community Trust Young Leaders Awards.

This is the third time, I have been asked to present these awards, and the second time Susan and I have had the honour of hosting the ceremony here in Government House. When the awards were last presented at Lyall Bay, Government House was closed for a major conservation project that saw the building literally pulled apart and put back together again with a new roof, new services, much needed earthquake strengthening as well as general refurbishment.  We hope you will take the opportunity to view the art and artefacts of the House at the end of this ceremony.

I would like to begin my contribution to the ceremony which recognises Wellington’s finest young community leaders by quoting one notable man’s somewhat different view of young people.  In a speech entitled “youth and sport” the man said:

"The greatest asset that a country possesses is its youth, and let us see to it that this asset is not any longer squandered. The scores of unhappy young people that one sees slouching about in every big city in the world, their eyes dull and bored and their shoulders drooping demonstrate the measure of our failure.  That is ‘youth without sport.'"

Those are comments with which members of this audience will be familiar.  They regularly appear in the media, in letters-to-the-editor, in blogs and in common conversation among adults. 

It is a view of young people that casts the youth of any nation as being a problem for which a solution is needed.  What may surprise you, however, is that the words I have quoted are not anything recent, but were said 50 years ago by my predecessor as Governor-General, Lord Cobham.

While I have often quoted Lord Cobham with approval in speeches, this is one where I disagree with him.  Maybe it is inevitable that every generation looks at the generations that follow them with a sigh, saying something like: “it wasn't like that in my day!”

In the almost five years that Susan and I have served in the Governor-General role, we have travelled widely and met many young New Zealanders.  We have visited schools, polytechnics and universities meeting many successful young people who have succeeded despite facing many obstacles, including physical or intellectual disabilities.

We are also Patrons of many organisations with a youth focus, including Barnardo's, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award, the YMCA and YWCA, the Girls' and Boys' Brigades, Girl Guiding and Scouting New Zealand, to name just a few.

Maybe it is inherent in being Governor-General that we see New Zealanders at their best.  The view we have of young people is quite different from the media stereotype.  Far from being a problem, the young people of today are, as Lord Cobham, to be fair rightly noted in beginning his 1961 speech, "our greatest asset".

These awards, which are now in their fourth time, continue to grow in standing.  I understand that the number of nominations this year have been the most received to date.  Their mana has grown because they recognise two important things—leadership and young people who are making a significant contribution to the Wellington community.

New Zealand needs leaders like you, and your ongoing development is important for the future of our country, especially in light of the difficult times our country is facing in the last year.

Only five will be named as an award winner but I want to congratulate each of you for reaching this point.  By being a finalist for this award you have shown a number of key leadership qualities, including an understanding of the importance of service, along with an ability to listen, integrity and decisiveness. 

But what is equally important is that by providing a positive example to others, you are promoting constructive change and turning words into action.  This point of turning words into action was well made by the New Zealand yachtsman and environmentalist, the late Sir Peter Blake, who once wrote: 

“Having vision is not enough. Change comes through realising the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies—the hard part is implementation.”

And on a note of congratulations and anticipation of the awards to follow, I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, 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.