Media Library

Speeches

ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE   ON THE OCCASION OF DINNER

ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF DINNER HOSTED BY THE GOVERNOR GENERAL AND Lady Hardie

Your Excellencies Governor General and Lady Hardie Boys, Prime Minister and Mr Shipley, Ministers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Kia Ora,

Let me at the outset, on my own behalf, on behalf of my husband, Martin, and on behalf of all of the members of my party, express my most sincere appreciation for the very warm and generous welcome and hospitality which has already been extended to us since our arrival in this beautiful city of Auckland earlier today. It is good to have reached the mainland, after spending some time on that other island off your western coast. You will, I know, be pleased to hear that they were very gracious hosts in Australia, and never once mentioned, or offered to display for us, the Bledisloe Cup!

I am particularly pleased that so many distinguished guests, senior figures from all walks of New Zealand life, and the Irish community which is a vibrant and integral part of that life, have gathered here this evening. I am especially grateful to those of you who have come here from the Nation’s capital - which is of course named after a man who was born in Dublin - to be with us. I thank you most especially, Governor General, for your warm and elegant words, and your sincere and clearly heartfelt understanding of, and affection for, my country and its people.

Ireland and New Zealand are, geographically, just about as far apart as two countries can be, separated by a vast distance, by oceans and by continents. The Irish who came to New Zealand in the very earliest days of European settlement, and those who followed them through many subsequent generations, knew very well that their journey was taking them, literally, half way round the world, and that they were likely never to see the home of their birth again. But here in New Zealand, they found a home away from home, where they could be part of the excitement and wonder of building a new society, a new nation. Many brought with them very little in the way of material possessions, some coming to escape episodes of great trauma in our own history, such as the Great Famine of the 1840s. What they did bring was their faith, their culture, the songs in their hearts and the stories in their souls, their warmth and tolerance, their sense of humour, and, most of all, their indomitable spirits. These treasures and gifts have proved enduring, and those Irish women and men have made an enormous contribution to making New Zealand what it is today - a youthful and vibrant society, keen to nurture the creativity and genius of its own people, and at the same time outward-looking and willing to play a dynamic role in the region and the world.

The bonds of history and family are surely one reason to explain why we share so much in common when it comes to our outlook on the world, and the challenges which we all face together as we stand on the threshold of the new Millennium. In June of this year, for example, our Foreign Ministers, David Andrews and Don McKinnon, though 13,000 miles apart, stood shoulder to shoulder in launching a fresh and important initiative aimed at progress towards ridding the world of the scourge of nuclear weapons. This initiative will be discussed at this year’s UN General Assembly over the coming weeks, and I know that our Governments and officials are working together very closely to promote its worthy objectives. We have also followed with admiration the important role which New Zealand has played in promoting peace and understanding in Papua New Guinea. We cooperate closely and our values and views coincide on other areas of mutual and universal concern such as international peacekeeping, the problem of landmines, and human rights.

Our contribution is not as a small and unheard voice in the crowd. We demonstrate that small nations can make a difference. We have empowered ourselves to the point where, on our side, we can help to shape the future of Europe and the world through, for example, our tenure of the rotating European Union Presidency, and New Zealand likewise makes an enormous contribution within the important APEC movement, and will host its Leaders’ Summit here next year.

There is also strong and constant co-operation between our nations on a whole range of other, perhaps less visible but no less important issues aimed at improving, in a very direct way, the lives of our people, though this usually goes unreported and unrecognised. I am referring to the exchanges at all levels of Government and in public and private sectors when we come together to discuss, and benefit from each others’ experiences, in many ways. From our systems of electing Governments, to the administration of our health and education systems, to the most contemporary challenges such as how we combat together the dangers of abuse of the Internet, Ireland and New Zealand are working together. This point is very topically illustrated by the visit of my accompanying Minister, Frank Fahey, who arrived here at the beginning of the month and has had intensive and productive contacts with counterparts in the areas of health and family services, as well as attending the ISPCAN Conference, hosted here in Auckland.

Ireland brings this understanding of New Zealand and its society, its hopes and concerns, to the relationship which we, as a partner in the European Union, have with you. My country has been to the forefront in the development of a closer relationship between Europe and New Zealand. We continue to work towards strengthening and deepening that relationship on all levels - political, economic, cultural and social. A stronger Europe of closer ties can only mean a stronger, more stable and more prosperous world. The next exciting phase in the European story - the introduction of Economic and Monetary Union and a Single Currency - should and must be viewed by your country as an enormously positive development, providing opportunities which benefit everyone, from the individual “Kiwi” backpacker, who will no longer surrender so much of his currency to exchange rate fluctuations and commissions, to the biggest corporate industries, who will find trade and investment transactions so much easier and less vulnerable to the vagaries of international financial markets - the sometimes devastating effects of which we have seen all too clearly in recent months.

Governor General,

One aspect of the relationship between our two countries which we dearly cherish is the very clear and strong support which the people of New Zealand and successive Governments here have demonstrated for efforts to bring about a lasting and just solution to the problems of Northern Ireland. I speak on behalf of all of the people of Ireland when I express appreciation for the support and encouragement which has come from New Zealand for the Peace Process and the Good Friday Agreement. We appreciate particularly, your practical contribution, through the International Fund for Ireland, to the cause of reconciliation across the island of Ireland.

The Agreement represents a remarkable step forward; it is an opportunity which must be grasped by all. In the horror of the Omagh bombing just weeks ago, which devastated so many innocent lives, we came face to face with the alternative; with the future as it is perceived by those who are the enemies of peace and progress. There is an enormous amount of work to be done and part of the process will undoubtedly involve harsh words and disagreement, but we must persist in order to bring an end once and for all to Northern Ireland’s tragic past, and shape together a future of hope for our children. With determination and dedication, and with the support of our friends across the world, we can succeed.

Governor General and Lady Hardie Boys, ladies and gentlemen,

At the beginning of my remarks, I spoke of the great distance which separates our two countries. But in this increasingly “global” world of the last years of the twentieth century, that vast distance between us is constantly shrinking. Our people move freely between our two countries in ever increasing numbers; schemes such as the working-holiday permit programme provide opportunities for so many of our young people each year to experience the lifestyle of one another’s countries. Our business people will trade more in 1998 than ever before. The bonds of communications and commerce have now joined the bonds of family and history to strengthen the connections between our two Nations. We go forward together, as cousins and as partners into the twenty first century, and I think that I can again speak for all of the people of Ireland when I assure you that we will harbour no resentment about the fact that, because of the time difference, New Zealand will get there first!

Thank You.