Dinner for the 50th anniversary of the World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand

E nga rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui mai nei i tēnei wā, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Nau mai, haere mai rā ki Te Whare o te Kāwana Tianara o Tāmaki Makaurau.

I'd like to begin by specifically acknowledging: Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb and The Honourable James Shaw, CEO and Chair of the World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand respectively; Dame Kerry Prendergast, Chair of the Fundraising Committee; and Matthew Valentine, Trustee and Chair of the WWF-New Zealand Nature Forever Charitable Trust. Tēnā koutou katoa.

This year, at COP26 in Glasgow, His Majesty King Charles III stated that it's time for the countries of the world to put themselves on a 'war-like footing' to work together on climate change and biodiversity loss - because, as he said, 'the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention'. The King, who is Patron of the World Wide Fund for Nature in the UK, has consistently delivered such warnings - along with pragmatic solutions - over the many years he has spent in public life.

It was with similar foresight that one of my predecessors in this role, Dame Cath Tizard, called for urgent action to address global warming, 35 years ago, at the opening of the South Pacific Climate Conference. She identified global warming as the environmental issue of that time, and predicted consequences that have indeed come to pass - including a rise in sea levels, with particularly devastating impacts on low-lying islands; the spread of pests and diseases; shifts in agriculture, forestry and horticultural economies; and disruptive social upheavals.

On another occasion, she quoted a Chinese proverb that translates as: 'Unless we change the direction we are headed, we might end up where we are going.' While it is to be regretted that so many opportunities to change direction have been missed in the decades since, Dame Cath did not give up her involvement in your cause, becoming Chair of your Board of Trustees, and then your Patron.

She would have been delighted to know that World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand was being hosted here for this 50th anniversary dinner - because yours is an organisation that does truly walk the talk when it comes to conservation.

As it happens, taiao - the natural world - is one of the key focus areas of my own strategic programme during my term of office, and I share your understanding that our precious natural world is at the beating heart of everything we love so much about Aotearoa New Zealand.

For 50 years, you have worked tirelessly to nurture a 'nature-positive' relationship with our environment - and you can be proud of your influence at community, national, and international levels: creating hope for threatened species, raising awareness of our responsibilities as kaitiaki, and promoting sustainable practices.

While progress hasn't always been linear, your wins have been remarkable and inspiring, and are proof that further positive change is achievable. Not least, I believe you've contributed in so many ways to an increasing awareness that we are all indeed part of nature: 'Ko ahau te taiao, ko te taiao, ko ahau. I am the environment, and the environment is me.'

More New Zealanders now understand that without a healthy environment, there is no economy - no fisheries, no agriculture, no tourism. When we work with nature, rather than against it - and find nature-based solutions, we can bequeath a sustainable future to our mokopuna.

World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand has been a vigilant watchdog for some of our most vulnerable creatures, and you have helped to create safe havens where they can survive and flourish. Aotearoa New Zealand has so much to thank you for.

Whether you are a funder, supporter, staff member, volunteer or partner, I wish you all the very best for your work to foster wildlife populations and a healthy environment in Aotearoa.

This evening, please accept this dinner as a token of sincere appreciation for everything you have achieved, and for everything you plan to do to help create a better future for our people and the natural world.

Kia ora e huihui mai tātou i tēnei wā.