Introduction and welcome
Tihei mauri ora, e nga mana, e nga reo, e rau rangatira mā, e hui nei ki
te Wharekomihana o Letava – nau mai, haere mai, piki mai, te
Whakanui i te ahiahi o te rā o Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Distinguished guests gathered here at the High Commissioner’s
Residence in Letava, welcome to the commemorations to mark the
signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
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A “sacred compact” between Māori and Pakeha
I am honoured to be with you this evening as we join and stand
together to commemorate Waitangi Day, the national day of Aotearoa
– New Zealand. Tomorrow people of all communities and
backgrounds will gather together at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands to
commemorate the first signing of Aotearoa’s founding document: Te
Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February 1840.
The Bledisloe Prayer, which Tauā has just read, was recited by the
Bishop of Aotearoa at the first Waitangi Day in 1934. The prayer,
composed by Lord Bledisloe, who bestowed the Waitangi lands back to
the nation, spoke of the Treaty of Waitangi as a “sacred compact.”
A thread that binds and unites us
The Treaty is the common thread that runs through our nation’s past,
present and future. As an agreement between Māori rangatira and the
British Crown, the Treaty established a framework for the government
and settlement of Aotearoa. Both Māori and Pākehā had reasons for
signing, and for committing to a shared relationship together. For
many it was about hope – hope for a better future, an enduring peace,
stability, prosperity, equality, shared power and responsibilities.
But at times has divided us
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As we know, the ink had barely dried on the parchment before there
were misunderstandings and disagreements as to what, in effect, the
Treaty meant. There were many subsequent years in which it was
considered by some to be a relic, an irrelevance, a nullity, and a point
of division not unity.
Look back and reflect, so you can move forward
One hundred and eighty-one years on from 1840, we continue to
debate the Treaty and its promise of a “sacred compact”. But now we
do so as a nation that has matured and recognises its fundamental
importance.
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Waitangi Day invites us to first think about how we came to be at this
point in time, as expressed in this whakatauki or proverb: “Titiro
whakamuri, haere whakamua / Look back and reflect, so you can
move forward”. In recent years, successive governments have made
explicit and constructive efforts to address the inequities of the past,
and to compensate for Treaty breaches by the Crown. That
reconciliation process continues apace.
I have no doubt that debates will continue. But the spirit of that
original “sacred compact”— a new way of two peoples living together
in harmony and equality—remains integral to Aotearoa New Zealand,
and to the nature and texture of our nation, and to our enduring
democracy.
Acknowledging the Queen of New Zealand
As people of the land and people of the Treaty, we are together
governed by a democratic administration that we have, together,
freely elected regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, gender, religion or
sexual orientation. And it is together that we pay tribute to our Head
of State, the Queen of New Zealand. 6 February, is the anniversary—by
historical coincidence—of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. As of
tomorrow, she will have spent 69 years on the throne—more than a
third of the time since the Treaty was signed.
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Developing our own distinctive national character
In that period we have continued to develop our own distinctive
national character. Whether it is in sport, business, agriculture, the
arts, science and the creative industries, or in international fora such
as peacekeeping, New Zealanders have repeatedly shown their talent,
tenacity, flair and commitment.
A “sacred compact” between Aotearoa and Samoa
As we’ve built our national character and identity, we’ve been
privileged to incorporate many positive characteristics, customs,
traits and talents from Polynesia including Sāmoa. Indeed, the spirit
of Te Tiriti o Waitangi underpins New Zealand’s relationship with
these islands – one that is exemplified by shared culture, lineage,
history, experiences and successes that are threads of true
partnership. This spirit of partnership is the heart of the Aotearoa
Sāmoa Treaty of Friendship dating from 1962 as complemented by the
Statement of Partnership signed in February 2019. Collectively they
represent a “sacred compact” between our two nations.
We see the principle of true partnership in the way Aotearoa
New Zealand engages every day with Sāmoa. That’s not to say we have
always got it right over the past six decades. We have had our shared
moments. Some of them have been painful, as we know. Even family
members within whanau and aiga don’t always see eye to eye and may
disagree from time to time.
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Living up to the promise of a “sacred compact”
Living up to the promises of a “sacred compact” is not easy. We are –
after all – only human, with human frailties. It takes real wisdom,
courage, faith and trust to build enduring partnerships and find a path
through difficult issues. This goal is embodied in the old Māori chant:
“Tuia te muka tangata ki uta / Weaving people together for a shared
future”.
Facing the challenge of COVID together
There is another well-known whakataukī in te reo Māori that says
"I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho". It speaks to the need for creative
thinking, adaptability and perseverance in finding solutions. We will
need all these attributes and more to face the challenges of a world
ravaged by COVID.
The enormous challenges of the past twelve months have highlighted
to me and I hope to you all the enduring nature of our “sacred
compact”. COVID has turned our world upside down and inside out.
And delivering upon a true partnership
In this ongoing period of adversity and disruption, our partnership
has, I believe, been stronger than ever. This in large part has been
driven by a realisation that we are all in the waka together “He waka
eke noa” and we are all the same [Pacific] family “O le fogava’a e tasi”.
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To achieve a lot
I’m proud that we’ve come together united in spirit to keep these
islands COVID free, to help return almost 4,000 stranded Sāmoan
residents from all parts of the globe, to maintain essential supply
chains, to facilitate ongoing remittance flows, to restart RSE labour
mobility and to deliver upon promised development activities and
projects. We’ve found collaborative and creative ways to cooperate,
reprioritised our activities, delivered budgetary support where that
makes better sense and supported Sāmoa’s COVID preparations in
kind and in cash.
But our job is unfinished
Our job remains unfinished. There is much still to do. There remain
thousands of Sāmoans stranded offshore and an economy needing
revitalising. There are many who would like to travel offshore but
can’t while borders remain closed, flights are scarce and MIQ spaces
are limited.
We now stand ready to support Sāmoa in its roll-out of the COVID-19
vaccine. New Zealand is committed to supporting Sāmoa and the
vaccination of its population and the other five countries in the
Polynesian Health Corridor.
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It’s been a collaborative multipronged effort
I would stress that this has been a collaborative effort with the many
donor countries, multilateral organisations, NGOs and key businesses
present here tonight. And we’ve worked alongside an amazing group
of dedicated Sāmoan officials. I wish to acknowledge them and all the
health workers, first responders and numerous support staff and
volunteers who have contributed to keeping us all safe from COVID.
This has been a remarkable team effort of partnership in the true
spirit of a “sacred compact”. A partnership that I hope will endure and
grow as we look to the end of the tumultuous Year of the Water Rat
and to the beginning of the Year of the Metal Ox which promises
attributes of hard work, positivity and honesty.
A toast to our an enduring partnership
On that upbeat note I would now like to propose a toast to
commemorate Waitangi Day 2021 and the enduring partnership
between Aotearoa New Zealand and Sāmoa. Please be upstanding and
join me in raising your glasses:
“To His Highness, the Head of State, and to the Government and people
of the Independent State of Sāmoa. May the partnership between our
two nations continue to prosper, our friendship endure and our
respect never diminish.”
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“No reira, kia ora, kia kaha, kia manawanui, huihui tātou katoa.
Manuia soifua”.
Please be seated. As it is Māori tradition to end a speech with a song,
and recognising the ongoing challenge of COVID, the combined staff of
the NZ High Commission and Office of Immigration NZ will now sing
the Waiata – “Te Iwi E” – which calls on us all to stand united together