State Dinner for the Governor-General of Australia

Rau rangatira mā, e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora tātou katoa.

First I wish to acknowledge the recent tragic events in Sydney. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of these terrible and senseless attacks.

This evening I wish to specifically acknowledge: The Honorable Casey Costello, Minister of the Crown ; Her Excellency Harinder Sidhu AM, High Commissioner of Australia in New Zealand; Members of Parliament; Air Marshall Kevin Short, Chief of New Zealand Defence Force; Andrew Coster, Commissioner of Police; senior members of the New Zealand Defence Force; veterans, service personnel and their families; Government House Kaumātua, Joe Harawira, and Kuia, Puhiwāhine Tibble; distinguished guests.

And of course a very warm welcome to you, General Hurley and Mrs Hurley. After COVID-19 has put paid to so many of our people-to-people interactions in recent years, Richard and I are delighted to see a resumption of the customary State Visit of Australian Governors-General to New Zealand.

The Ceremony of Welcome afforded to you today affirms and celebrates the special connection between our Governors-General - as well as the very special relationship that exists between Australia and New Zealand.

The relationship between our two nations is the closest and most comprehensive of all our bilateral relationships. Our Prime Ministers and Ministers meet frequently, and I have certainly valued the occasions when General Hurley and I have had opportunities to meet each other and compare notes.

Few nations are as interconnected as Australia and New Zealand. We enjoy the benefits of increasing economic integration; we appreciate each other's arts and culture (and happily claim it for our own on occasion); we foster intense sporting rivalries; and we proudly uphold our democratic institutions and our firm commitment to international rules-based systems.

Last year, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of CER, a trade agreement that has resulted in significant benefit for our people and businesses. Our trade relationship continues to evolve in our quest to achieve a single economic market, which will produce even greater returns for businesses on both sides of the Tasman.

The Tasman has proven to be more of a connecting channel than an ocean barrier to the movement of peoples between Australia and New Zealand.

Australia is a home away from home for so many New Zealanders - and we are delighted to welcome Australians who choose to make their home here. Over a million people in Australia were either born in New Zealand, or have at least one New Zealand-born parent. As a wāhine Māori, I celebrate the increasing connections between iwi Māori and First Nation Peoples in Australia - and note that roughly one in seven Māori now live in Australia.

New Zealanders are proud of the contributions they have made to Australian society, and are deeply appreciative of the new pathway to citizenship.

Australia and New Zealand have long been regarded as places of promise by the peoples of the world. Generations of immigrants have been drawn by the natural beauty of our landscapes, and opportunities to start afresh and create a better future for their descendants.

We are fortunate to have some of the most multicultural cities on the globe. We are strengthened by the energy and aspirations of our diverse communities, while retaining a particular sense of shared history and traditions.

Next week will see us recall a moment in history that has forever linked our peoples together. On Anzac Day, Australians and New Zealanders - wherever they might be in the world - will pause to honour those who have served in our defence forces.

In particular, they will think of our forebears who fought side by side on the narrow beaches and in the steep ravines of Gallipoli, in a valiant stand in the face of impossible odds. Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou. We will remember them.

As we trace the origins of our Anzac mateship to that shared experience, we should remember that the bond continues today and is strengthened wherever and whenever Australian and New Zealand military personnel are deployed together.

Our Defence Forces are currently working together to support Ukraine's self-defence against Russia's illegal invasion, and as part of a coalition working to uphold maritime security in the Red Sea. We also share long-standing commitments to peacekeeping operations such as the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai, or United Nations missions in South Sudan, South Korea, and the Middle East.

Your Excellency, I also want to acknowledge your military service. I know that throughout your career you have worked alongside the New Zealand Defence Force, in particular in Somalia. I am delighted that we are joined tonight by New Zealand veterans who also served in Somalia.

Another expression of our trans-Tasman mateship is evident when disaster strikes. We are there for each other. We will always cross the Tasman to lend each other a hand, whether it be in the aftermath of an earthquake in New Zealand, or in response to bushfires in Australia.

As the likelihood of such extreme weather events and climate-related emergencies will only increase in the future, we are indeed fortunate to have such good friends as neighbours.

We look forward to even closer ties in the future - capitalising on the energy, expertise, and innovation both nations can bring to addressing the challenges of our times and creating a sustainable future for our peoples.

General Hurley and Mrs Hurley, thank you for making time in your last weeks of your term to come to New Zealand. You are our honoured guests and friends, and Richard and I are very much looking forward to spending the next few days with you. I hope you both enjoy your visit, and return to New Zealand soon.

Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.

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