Source: New Zealand Governor General
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora tātou katoa.
I specifically acknowledge
- Hon Simon Watts (Minister for Climate Change)
- Hon James Shaw
- Hon Marama Davidson
- Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan
- Hon Rachel Brooking
- Hon Eugenie Sage
- Dame Anne Salmond
- Nicola Toki, Kate Graeme, and Jessica Lamb of Forest and Bird; and
- Joan Leckie, QSM, Distinguished Life Member
It’s my great privilege to host this celebration to mark 100 years of Forest and Bird in Aotearoa New Zealand.
A centennial year is a time to look back and acknowledge key moments in history, and shortly Nicola will outline the many achievements of Forest and Bird over that time.
For my part, I will take a moment to highlight just a few of the vice-regal contributions to conservation in Aotearoa.
In the 1890s, Governor Onslow lobbied for the protection of plants and animals, and persuaded the Government to add the huia to a small list of protected birds. He also named his baby son Huia.
In 1914, Lord and Lady Liverpool became patrons of an early version of Forest and Bird, and Lord Bledisloe became Patron in 1930. He liked to speak at some length about New Zealand native plants he recommended for home gardens, at a time when such ideas were not at all fashionable.
Long after he left office, Lord Bledisloe continued to act as an Honorary Vice President of Forest and Bird, and in 1947, he spoke out in support of the preservation of Waipoua Forest.
Our first New Zealand-born Governor-General, Sir Arthur Porritt was the son of a Forest and Bird Vice-President, Ernest Porritt.
Sir Arthur’s son Jonathon developed an interest in the environment during his father’s term of office in Aotearoa. Sir Jonathon has been honoured for his many distinguished services to environmental protection in the UK, and is co-Patron, with me, of the Aotearoa Circle.
I am proud to continue the vice-regal patronage of Forest and Bird, and on behalf of my fellow New Zealanders, I thank everyone involved for your work to safeguard and improve the wellbeing of our whenua, moana, flora and fauna.
Here at Government House, we are fortunate to see tangible benefits of Forest and Bird initiatives. Our staff can recall the days when possums would get into the House through open windows and wreck havoc. Native birds were a rare sight in the grounds.
Thanks to predator control, and the work of Jim and Eve Lynch of Forest and Bird to establish Zealandia, we now enjoy native birdsong and the wonderful antics of tui, kereru and kaka.
New Zealanders owe a debt of gratitude to Forest and Bird for working to establish a network of sanctuaries in Aotearoa, where fragile ecosystems have a chance to recover, and our birds can re-establish themselves.
In the 1920s, Forest and Bird’s founder, Val Sanderson campaigned against the deforestation of hill country, in order to halt erosion, silting of rivers, and flooding. The destruction of our forests by deer was another great concern of his.
A hundred years later, those threats to our forests are still on the Forest and Bird agenda – and the scope of advocacy has broadened over the years to include the protection of endangered species and the wellbeing of our oceans and sea-life.
Val Sanderson would have been gratified to see the granting of Royal patronage in the 1960s, and to witness the lifetime of environmental advocacy by His Majesty King Charles, who has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the existential threats posed by biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and the climate crisis.
New Zealanders increasingly share His Majesty’s concerns, as well as His Majesty’s high regard for the natural world. Even though we are mostly urban dwellers, our souls are nourished when we can touch base with our bush, mountains, rivers and beaches – and hear our birds welcoming the dawn of a new day.
In te Ao Māori, human beings are an integral part of natural world, and awa and maunga are central to identity. The concept of kaitiakitanga – that we are merely temporary guardians of our natural world, charged with leaving it in better shape than we found it – increasingly resonates with New Zealanders. The kaupapa of Forest and Bird has played a part in developing that consciousness.
It’s not surprising that many thousands of New Zealanders – from all walks of life – and from all political persuasions – have welcomed the opportunities Forest and Bird provides to become involved in preserving our precious natural heritage.
From its beginnings, it has been an effective vehicle for citizen action, providing opportunities to do what we can to improve the wellbeing of our environment, whether it be raising seedlings, restoring wetlands, planting a riverbank, removing invasive plants, setting traps, helping out at a reserve, choosing to buy sustainable fish for dinner, or petitioning local and central government.
At a time when the sheer scale of our ecological challenges can seem overwhelming, the history of Forest and Bird gives New Zealanders hope, agency, and confidence that we can achieve more than we previously thought possible.
Individuals and communities have been empowered by a shared vision to work for something bigger than their own back-yards, and have left a bequest for their descendants that they can be proud of.
The wins have not been quick or easy. Fortunately, Forest and Bird has a strong and loyal support base, and the generations of young New Zealanders in conservation clubs and youth hubs will ensure the mahi will continue.
It certainly helps when people like John Oliver choose to become involved. His invitation to bemused people in Paris, Mumbai, Tokyo, London and Ipanema to vote in the Bird of the Century campaign helped raise a substantial sum for Forest and Bird – and was great PR for citizen participation.
I conclude tonight with the reflections of Scott Momaday, a Native American Pulitzer Prize winner:
“Those who came before me did not take for granted the world in which they lived… They touched the ground, the trees, the stones with respect and reverence. I believe that they imagined me before I was born, that they prepared the way for me, that they placed their faith and hope in me and in the generations that followed and will follow them. Will I give my children an inheritance of the earth? Or will I give them less than I was given?”
For one hundred years, Forest and Bird has invited New Zealanders to reflect on our responsibilities to the earth we have inherited – and our responsibilities to ensure that we give more than we were given.
May you continue to fulfil that vital role, with good heart and resolve in the years to come.
No reira, tēna koutou, tēna koutou, tēna tatou katoa.
