Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the banquet in honour of the official visit by Governor-General of New Zealand Anand Satyanand on 3 May, 2011

(muutosvarauksin)

It gives me great pleasure to wish you and your spouse warmly welcome to Finland. Your visit reminds me of the friendliness and hospitality that my husband and I received in New Zealand during the state visit in 2007.

We all followed the news on the disastrous earthquake that struck the city of Christchurch in February. Personally, it also brought back memories from January 1999 when I, as Foreign Minister, visited Christchurch for a couple of days on my way to Antarctic. I would like to once more extend my condolences to you and to the people of New Zealand for the tragic losses and vast damages.

New Zealand and Finland have a surprisingly long history. In the 18th century, a Finnish technician Herman Spöring visited New Zealand in Captain James Cook’s fleet. When they approached the coast of New Zealand in 1769, Cook gave the first discovered island - originally known as Pourewa - the name “Spöring”.

Finnish migration to New Zealand, which started already in the mid 19th century, creates a special link between our two countries. There are still a number of Finnish societies in New Zealand. The Working Holiday Visa scheme, in effect since 2004, has increased especially the contacts the between younger generations. 

The relations between our two countries are very good. A good basis for closer cooperation is the fact that we share many similarities and common values. Our countries are small; the population of Finland is 5,4 million and only a little larger than the 4,4 million of New Zealand. Both our countries are known for their nature and wild life and our peoples are attached to preserving a clean environment for coming generations. We are both active in the efforts to combat climate change. Finland is cooperating with Pacific Island States to develop meteorological services in the region.

New Zealand and Finland are both societies open to international and regional cooperation and free trade. Despite the long distance between our countries setting our countries apart, there is a lot of potential for our relations to be further deepened. For example, we have many possibilities to increase cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovations. I believe that this visit will be fruitful in strengthening the relations and the ties of friendship between our two countries.

Both of our countries have been at the forefront of promoting women’s rights. New Zealand was the first in the world in empowering women with the vote but Finland was the first to give women full political rights. Universal and equal suffrage was also a victory for our men, since the reform gave full political rights to every citizen over the age of 24, regardless of wealth or social status. In the 1907 elections, 19 of the 200 members of Parliament elected were women. In our last elections in April, 85 women were elected to office.

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New Zealand and Finland share the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Both of us have a special interest in promoting the rights of indigenous peoples. We already cooperate closely in many issues. We play an active role in the United Nations and support a strong UN as the main forum for global cooperation. Finland is a candidate for membership in the UN Security Council for the period of 2013-14, and New Zealand is seeking membership for the following term.

The European Union is an important partner of New Zealand bilaterally as well as in the region. The EU is a major trading partner for New Zealand and a natural political partner on international fora. The EU wants to develop its cooperation with countries of the Asia-Pacific region also including Pacific Island States. New Zealand has a great deal of expertise to offer us in developing cooperation between the EU and the Asia-Pacific region.

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I wish to propose a toast to continued excellent relations between New Zealand and Finland, together with my very best wishes for your Excellencies’ personal well-being.