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Your Honour, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Society has nothing more precious than its youth. We brought them into the world. To a large extent we made them what they are. To them, we entrust our hopes and our aspirations. To them, we look…

E nga mana - e nga reo - rau rangatira ma - tena koutou. Nga hau e wha - nga iwi e tau nei - tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. In New Zealand's second official language, I too extend a welcome, saying: To all our distinguished guests, to all…

Anneke Boren, President of the New Zealand Society, and Vera Burton, President of the Wellington Association, our three international visitors, Mrs Kazuyo Hiruma from Japan, Les Manning from Canada and Sandra Taylor from Australia, and all potters here…

Uuia kia Rangi-nui e tuu iho nei - ia Papa-tua-nuku e takoto ake nei - tohia nga hua o te tau- hue ha! E wehi ano to te rangi - e wehi ano to te whenua - e wehi ano to te takiwa Tihei mauri ora! Te Arawa tapu - Te Arawa mana - Te Arawa waka - Te Arawa iwi…

E nga mana, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma: tena koutou. Nga hau e wha, nga iwi e tau nei: tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.   Mr Chairman, our visitors from overseas, my fellow New Zealanders. We have been welcomed in the traditional manner of…

First, may I say thank you to Harvey and Sarah for their inspiring address. They have not just talked about The Father Factor. They have given us a telling demonstration of it: of the kind of relationship there can and should be between father and…

Uuia kia Ranginui e tuu iho nei - ia Papatuanuku e takoto ake nei - tohia nga hua o te tau - hue haa! E weehi ano to te rangi - e weehi ano to te whenua - e weehi ano to te takiwa - tihei mouri ora! Tuu mai e te maunga tapu Tararua - tuu mai! Tuu mai! E…

Nga hau e wha, nga iwi e tau nei, tena koutou. E nga mana, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. We were told on the news the other day that we have a quite rapidly increasing population. Yet over the next 20 to 30…

It is a pleasure to be here, and to see that the Association in Auckland is in such good heart. Some here I have seen quite frequently over the years, because we've had some reunions. Others I haven't seen for many years, but some of you are still…

Thank you, Dr Isdale, Mr President, Mr Orthodontic President, Mr Australian President, other distinguished visitors, members of the Association, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your welcome and for the invitation to open this, your 19 th Biennial…

Mayor Blumsky, Mr Foster, Councillors, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your welcome, and for the invitation to share in the opening of this important conference. It is important because it is your 50 th , and that's a milestone…

When I was a boy, I spent many school holidays with my grandmother in Palmerston North. She liked to be driven into the Square and sit in the car watching the people go by. "Oh my", she would say, "look at all the people. What changes in our lives." She…

Thank you for your welcome, and for the invitation to take part in this Symposium. It was an invitation I accepted readily, although when it came time to think about what I might actually contribute, I began to realise that perhaps I had been rather…

Ladies and gentlemen. "I have had a most rare vision". Thus spake Bottom, in the Midsummer Night's Dream, waking from Puck's spell. But I suppose that to compare the old Winter Show Building with Titania is a bit far-fetched - even a bit asinine. But what…

Where to now? I once read of a small boy who saw his first skylark. "Look at that bird, Mum" he said. "It can't go up and it can't go down, and it's bawling its head off." I sometimes wonder whether that illustrates our attitude to our environment; indeed…

Nga mate, haere, haere, haere. The Honourable Philip Ruddock, my fellow New Zealanders, friends from Turkey and Australia and all around the world, you in your thousands who have come to stand here with us, side by side, in solemn remembrance. Nga hau e…

Nga mate, haere, haere, haere - Those who died here, may you rest in peace. The Hon Philip Ruddock, Your Excellency Mr Ekrem Ozsoy, Governor of Canakkale, friends from around the world. We stand here today on hallowed ground. It is hallowed ground because…

Mr McGibbon, (President) , Conference Delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your invitation to open your Conference this morning - it is a pleasure to join with representatives of musical societies, large and small, which have over so many years…

I made a promise to Laurie O'Reilly that I would open this Forum, and so I am here. I am sorry that I could not manage it at the very beginning. But quite often I open buildings, for example, that have been in use for some time, so that it's quite…

Mr Chairman, Your Worship, ladies and gentlemen. Early last year the Listener published an article by Carl Sagan, the author and astrophysicist, which he began by saying that the 20 th century will be remembered for three broad areas of innovation; our…

'A Resurrection of Leadership' It is easy to think of leadership as something exercised by a few people with particular ability. That, however, is false: we all have the capacity for leadership and we all act as leaders on occasion. Just by being…

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. For some years now, it's been obvious, hasn't it, that the level of violence in New Zealand society has been going up: violent action is part of our everyday entertainment, and violent crime is much more common…

Karanga mai, mihi mai, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Our distinguished guests, writers, readers, listeners, good evening everyone. I am, truly, delighted to have the privilege of formally opening the New Zealand Post Writers' and Readers'…

Mrs. Caughey and members of the Trust Board, Mrs. Reid and your school family, staff and girls, parents and friends, Miss Holland, Mr. Compton and Miss Johnson. Thank you for the invitation to come to St Cuthbert's and to share this exciting day with you…

E weehi ano to te rangi - e weehi ano to te whenua - e weehi ano to te takiwa. (There is that which is to be revered in the heavens; and over the earth; that which is to be revered throughout the universe.) Uuia kia Rangi-nui e tuu iho nei - ia Papa-tua-…

Prime Minister and Mr Shipley, Mr Bolger and Mrs Bolger, Te Arikinui, Dame Te Ata-i-Rangi-kaahu and Mr Mahuika, Ministers, Mayors, Your Excellencies, our co-hosts, Sir Ronald and Lady Trotter, ladies and gentlemen, our guests one and all. Nga hau e wha,…

E nga mana, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Mr Garlick, Chairman of the St James Theatre Charitable Trust; Dame Kate Harcourt, its Patron; Your Worship, Mayor Blumsky; Your Excellency, the British High…

Mayor John Burke (if attending), Mr White (Principal, Paremata School), Mr Kelly, Mr Arthur, Mr Leggatt, the Chair and members of the Board of Trustees, parents and, the most important people here, you children of Paremata School. Thank you for inviting…

E nga mana tangata whenua, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma; tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. I pay respects to the authority of the people of this place: and to the speakers and to the distinguished people who are assembled here, I extend…

Mayor Philip Woollaston (Mayor of Nelson); Deputy Mayor of Tasman District, David Ogilvy; Bev Harvey (Chairwoman of Nelson Volunteer Centre Trust); Nancy Cowan (Regional Co-ordinator, Volunteer Centre); Mary Lafrentz and Bruce Hancox (Chairwoman and…

E nga mana tangata whenua, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Mr President, Your Worship the Mayor, Minister, other distinguished guests and visitors from near and far, ladies and gentlemen. I greatly appreciate the…

First let me say how pleased we are to be here tonight. This is a great school, with a fine record of educational excellence. My wife's father, and his brother, came here, so did both my ADCs and I am proud to be an old boy, and very proud too of the fact…