UN General Assembly
2018

E nga mana nul o nga whenua o te ao/Tena koutou katoa/Nei ra te reo mihl maioha o Aotearoa/Tena tatau i nga kaupapa korero/Ka arahina e tatau/Me te ngakau pono/Me te kotahitanga o te tangata. My opening remarks were in Te Reo Maori, the language of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. As is tradition, I acknowledged those who are here, why we are here and the importance of our work. It seems a fitting place to start. As a leader attending my first General Assembly, I am struck by the power and potential that resides here. In New Zealand we have always been acutely aware of that. We are a remote nation at the bottom of the South Pacific. It takes three hours to reach our nearest neighbours by plane, and anywhere that takes less than 12 hours is considered close. I have no doubt, though, that our geographic isolation has contributed to our values.