PM's speech to the Hellenic-New Zealand Congress

Prime Minister's speech to the Hellenic-New Zealand Congress

Wellington, 24 November 2000

I am very happy to host the Hellenic-New Zealand Congress here tonight in Parliament. Greece itself was the home of democracy, and so here tonight the Congress is meeting in the home of democracy in New Zealand.

Tonight I acknowledge the very important role that Greece has played in human history, going back to classical times. It was a nursery for European civilisation with its architecture, its sculpture, and its philosophers particularly well known.

Greek history has also had more than its share of tragedy. On many occasions Greeks have had to struggle for their freedom. For three and a half centuries they lived under Ottoman Rule. World War Two saw the invasion of Hitler's army. New Zealand played a small role in resistance to Hitler in Greece. Then, at the end of World War Two, Greece experienced a civil war which ripped communities apart. In the 1960s a military dictatorship took power.

Now at the beginning of the 21st century Greece is at peace and prosperous. It is a member of the European Union and of Nato, and is well respected in the international community.

Greeks came to New Zealand in the nineteenth century along with other European settlers. The earliest Greek presence recorded in the New Zealand census was in 1874 when forty men and one woman were reported. Greek men came out to New Zealand to work, but generally expected to go home: rather like the Dalmatian men who came out to the gumfields in Northland and the Chinese men who came out to the Otago goldfields. Early Greek migrants worked in the goldfields and worked as fishermen. Some settled permanently, and a small but vibrant Greek community has long been a part of the life of Wellington.

New Greek communities came to New Zealand after World War Two. Then thousands of Greek Romanians came in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, there was a government migration programme for Greek women workers. In the mid 1970s Greeks came from Cyprus.

The reputation of Greeks in New Zealand has been of hard working people. Many started their own businesses, often in the food area. Their descendants have gone on to succeed in almost every part of New Zealand life.

There is now a very extensive list of people of Greek descent in the field of arts and culture, an area of particular interest to me. They make a very rich contribution to New Zealand across the media of music, painting, sculpture, ceramics, the performing arts, poetry, film-making, and theatre design.

As Minister for Arts and Culture, I am very keen to promote the creative side of New Zealand life. This small Greek community in New Zealand is contributing an extraordinary number of creative people to modern New Zealand culture.

I mentioned earlier the small part New Zealand played in the history of Greece in World War Two; firstly on the mainland, and then in Crete. Next year, in May, we are planning for the sixtieth anniversary of the Battle of Crete. Those servicemen who have survived from that time are now mostly in their eighties and sadly diminishing in number. I believe it is very important to record more of their memories before their generation passes on. Accordingly I have asked the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to produce a new oral history of the Crete campaign. We aim to publish it by May next year.

In addition we are running a student essay competition on the Crete campaign.

As for the 85th anniversary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli this year, we are taking the winners of the competition to Crete with the official party next year for the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary. The official party will include representatives of the veterans, representatives of the New Zealand Defence Force and these young people. I hope to attend myself.

I regard the Battle of Crete as a very significant event in New Zealand history, as it is in Greece's history.

There were 671 New Zealanders killed in the Battle of Crete, 967 wounded, and 2180 taken as prisoners of war. For a small country like New Zealand, that was very traumatic.

I thank the Hellenic-New Zealand Congress for its work to highlight the significant contribution of Greek culture to human civilisation. I also thank the Greek community for its substantial contribution to New Zealand in so many fields. I have singled out arts and culture for special mention, but also note that Greeks are prominent in our national life in so many areas. Greeks have indeed been ideal migrants to New Zealand.