Displaying 1 - 24 of 37 results.

Mauri. Kia Ora tatou katoa. Warm Pacific greetings.
Can I at the outset convey my sincere condolences to the Niuean community of Aotearoa who mourn the passing of Sir Toke Talagi, Niue’s former Premier. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute yesterday of Sir Toke’s significant contribution to Niue, New Zealand and the Pacific region.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Talofa lava, malo e lelei, kia orana, taloha ni, fakaalofa lahi atu, ni sa bula vinaka, Talofa, Kia ora, tēnā koutou katoa. Warm Pacific greetings to you all.

I am really pleased I could be here with you today - to share this time with so many great innovators, thinkers and policymakers. Thank you for making the time to be here and for answering the call to come and share your expertise with us. I am looking forward to meeting and chatting with some of you later and hearing about the outstanding work you do.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Talofa lava, malo e lelei, kia orana, taloha ni, fakaalofa lahi atu, ni sa bula vinaka, Talofa, kia ora, tena koutou katoa. Warm Pacific greetings to you all.

A great pleasure to be here at Orakei Marae with you all to welcome you to the third Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here with us in New Zealand.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Kia ora tatou katoa and Warm Pacific greetings to one and all.

Representatives of Tainui, the local people of the land, or manawhenua – the indigenous peoples of this area – have welcomed you this morning in accordance with local custom.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Chair, New Zealand commends this mid-term review of the Samoa Pathways. Let me convey to you the picture that I see as we conduct this review.
There is an unprecedented, man-made storm coming our way. Our youth can see the dark clouds gather at the outer limits of the horizons. We must paddle our canoe to safety and we must do it quickly. We must all paddle in the same direction or we’ll be caught by the storm and die.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

We acknowledge that the subject of this event can be highly sensitive, and we understand and respect the reasons why this can be a delicate issue for people in our region. Ideally, countries of the world would be rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to ensure that people do not need to move because of climate change.

In the Pacific, climate change-related mobility is, so far, limited to internal movements, such as people moving inland away from rising sea levels and coastal hazards. That’s what we would expect, given the passionate desire of Pacific peoples to not be forced to leave their homes, their communities, their countries, and their land and sea.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

I wish to extend thanks to the organisers of today’s High Level Meeting.

In 2018, New Zealand’s Defence Assessment identified climate change is one of the most significant security threats of our time. The Pacific Island Forum’s Boe Declaration expands on this definition.

New Zealand is pleased that the links between climate change and security are increasingly being recognised, including through the good work of this Group of Friends. We add our voice to Germany and others to call on all big industrial nations to pick up the pace.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Excellences, colleagues, members of the diplomatic corps, ladies and gentlemen, kia ora tatou katoa, warm Pacific greetings to one and all.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak today.

We know that climate change is the single biggest threat to the livelihoods and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific and there is an urgent, immediate, and unprecedented need for greater and more ambitions action. And in my privileged position as Minister for Pacific Peoples, as I listen to my elders, the two, three, that have spoken earlier and as I get to engage with our Pacific leaders right across the Pacific region – we’re leading.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Introductory remarks as Chair

This is an important and timely meeting. Here in New York the climate conversation has shifted from positions and negotiations, to action and ambition. The discussion about science and impacts and commitments is no longer controversial. Most of the world has now turned to action. Many of us here have set our sights on 1.5 degrees, a goal which resonates so strongly in the Pacific region.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

It is a privilege to be here today at the inaugural ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the Victims of Terrorism. And I’d like to convey our warm thanks to the governments of Afghanistan and Spain for their leadership on this important issue.

The 15th of March 2019 is forever etched into the psyche of our peoples. New Zealand experienced its worst ever terrorist attack in which 51 individuals were killed – men, women and children – and dozens more injured in attacks against our Muslim community when they were worshipping in two mosques in the city of Christchurch.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Moderator, your Excellencies.
We in New Zealand remain deeply committed to supporting the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, which form the core of the body of international humanitarian law, applicable to armed conflicts.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Your Excellencies, good afternoon, tēnā koutou, warm Pacific greetings for you all.
I thank you for this opportunity to reaffirm Aotearoa New Zealand’s commitment to universal health coverage.
New Zealand believes firmly in the objectives of today’s event, the acceleration of progress towards achieving universal health coverage to build a healthier world for all.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Kia Ora and Warm Pacific Greetings.
The IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land is unequivocal: reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors is essential if global warming is to be kept to well below 2°C, if not 1.5°C. Changes to the global agriculture and food system are necessary if we are to address climate change, eliminate hunger and halt biodiversity loss.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Mr Secretary-General, it has been New Zealand’s honour to work with China in assisting you to prepare for your Summit.
The commitments on Nature-Based Solutions have demonstrated the significant action under way, working with nature to increase resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But more than that, the commitments and initiatives will also protect biodiversity, strengthen food security and underpin sustainable livelihoods around the globe.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Kia Ora. Ni hao ma. Greetings and Warm Pacific Greetings.

It has been an honour to work with China and other coalition members to assist the Secretary-General in preparing for his Climate Action Summit. Nature-Based Solutions for climate change are something New Zealand has a strong focus on, and we look forward to working with many of you here to further this agenda.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Kia Ora, Ni hao ma, Warm Pacific Greetings.
In co-leading the Nature-Based Solutions pillar, we realised that for many people nature is not top of mind when thinking about climate action. And we realised, too, that nature is sometimes thought about as “out there”, in the countryside or forests or oceans, not here in the heart of cities where over half of us live.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Madame Chair, the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. My fellow ministerial colleagues from across the Pacific region. SPREP and CROP officials present, ladies and gentlemen. Let me underpin my comments with what’s been said in New Zealand, that the transition to a low emissions economy needs to happen on the scale of the industrial revolution, but at the speed of the digital revolution.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Talofa lava, Kia orana tatou katoatoa, Malo e lelei, Fakalofa lahi atu, Taloha ni, Ni sa bula vinaka, Mauri, Bonjour, warm Pacific greetings to one and all.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Fa’afetai i lau Susuga ile fa’afeagaiga mo le tatou talosaga momoli. Oute talitonu lava ua mu ma talia le tatou Taulaga osi.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Launch of Cook Islands Language Week, St Lukes Pacific Island Presbyterian Church, Tokoroa, 3 August 2019

Kia òràna tatou katoatoa.

Papa Turu. To the māmās and pāpās of the Tokoroa Cook Islands community. To the Samoan orator who greeted me, the mana whenua present, and your worship the mayor. It is such a fantastic pleasure to bask in the shining glory of the sixteenth star. You are the most southern of all the Cook Island stars.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Your Excellencies, It now falls on me to provide some closing remarks and to wish you safe travels.

I want to begin by acknowledging we have all gathered here at the invitation of the Indonesian Government, and none of us wanted to miss out on such an auspicious occasion. Thank you to our hosts for your generosity and hospitality.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga karangaranga maha, tena koutou katoa. Oute manatu o lea ua savini fa’apunaomanu lo tatou mafutaga. O lupe sa vaoeseese ae o lenei ua fuifuia fa’atasi ile alofa ma le agalelei ole tatou Atua Silisiliese. Malo le soifua manuia. Warm Pacific greetings to one and all.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Noa’ia - and warm Pacific greetings to you all. Noa’ia e Mauri to one and all
I want to acknowledge the presence of our church leaders, our traditional leaders, our community leaders, young people, friends and families. I acknowledge those who have travelled from near and far, especially those who have come from overseas.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples

Your Excellencies. May I greet and acknowledge you and each of you in the language of the indigenous people of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

  • Hon Aupito William Sio
  • Pacific Peoples