Monday 29 October 2007
Rt Hon Helen Clark
Prime Minister
Address at
State Luncheon for the President of Ireland
Her Excellency, Mary McAleese
Banquet Hall
Parliament
1.30 pm
Monday 15 October 2007
It is my pleasure to welcome Her Excellency, Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, Dr McAleese, Mary Hanafin TD, Minister
of Education and Science, and the distinguished delegation from Ireland to Parliament today.
President McAleese, this is your second visit to New Zealand. Your last visit in 1998 is recalled with great affection,
and it is a privilege for us to be able to host you again in your second term of office.
New Zealand and Ireland have a very warm relationship. There is so much in common between us, leading us to work
together on many international issues.
It’s scarcely surprising that that is so, as our relationship is underpinned by so many cultural and family ties. Around
eighteen per cent of New Zealanders claim Irish descent – although on St Patrick’s Day it’s tempting to think that
number is much higher ! I count myself among the eighteen per cent as my grandfather migrated here from Ulster as a
young man.
The strong kinship ties between us are reflected in the large numbers of Irish cultural societies around New Zealand.
Contact with those groups will be an important part of President McAleese’s time here.
Our country receives a steady flow of short-term visitors from Ireland. The New Zealand - Ireland working holiday scheme
began in 1995 and is very popular. Young people from Ireland come here under the scheme. Tourist numbers from Ireland
have doubled between 2000 and 2006, and now stand at around 20,000 per year.
I recall my own very short visit to Dublin in November 2005 very clearly. The occasion was New Zealand’s presentation to
the International Rugby Board for the right to host Rugby World Cup 2011. Our bid was successful and we are the proud
hosts of the next Cup. Sadly flight changes left me with very little time in Dublin, but I was pleased to be able to
call on the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
During this visit, a new agreement will be signed between our governments which builds on our shared heritage and
culture. It is the new New Zealand Ireland Film Co-Production Treaty which will allow official co-productions to access
cultural funding and incentives in each country. I hope it won’t be too long before we see the first Kiwi-Irish movie !
New Zealand values its observership on the International Fund for Ireland board, and we remain very interested in
developments in Northern Ireland.
The restoration of a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland, after more than four years in suspension, was a
hugely significant event for the Northern Ireland peace process. It is testament to the joint efforts of the British and
Irish governments, and particularly the personal commitment made by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former British Prime
Minister Tony Blair to the peace process. We welcome the positive signs from Northern Ireland that the new government is
operating effectively and that its two leaders are working well together.
Another area of cultural policy focused on in the President’s visit here is that of support for indigenous languages.
The Irish Government has a far reaching strategy to make Ireland a fully bilingual country, and encourages the use of
Irish language in all aspects of life. While in New Zealand President McAleese will be visiting Maori Television and
gaining insights into the contribution it is making to promote the use of indigenous language here.
In recent years the level of co-operation between New Zealand and Ireland in the international arena has stepped up a
great deal.
Our defence forces are to be found in peacekeeping roles in many theatres, upholding the United Nations’ principles and
pursuing its goals. Currently we are both involved in Kosovo, in Lebanon, and elsewhere in the Middle East as well in
the UN Truce Supervision Organisation. In earlier years, we worked together in East Timor. We have an annual programme
of short term military exchanges, established in 2000.
New Zealand and Ireland are both keenly focused on the international challenges of climate change and improving
sustainability. We are discussing how to tackle agricultural greenhouse gas emissions which are significant in the
emissions profiles of both our countries. We are expecting a number of Irish scientists to travel to Christchurch for
the Greenhouse Gases and Agriculture conference we are hosing in November.
We also work closely together on disarmament issues, especially through the New Agenda Coalition. A world free from
nuclear weapons is a common goal for us both. And we are both playing a leading role in the Oslo Process to negotiate a
new treaty on cluster munitions. That is a very important humanitarian initiative, and is one of New Zealand’s top
disarmament priorities.
Once again, I welcome you, Madam President and Dr McAleese, to New Zealand. Our countries and peoples have so much
shared heritage and so much in common that we meet as close friends. On this visit we can celebrate that, and look
forward to keeping our ties strong in the future too.
Ladies and gentlemen, can I now ask you to rise to a toast to Her Excellency, Mary McAleese, President of Ireland.
ENDS