National Day Of Italy

Hon Heather Roy address to the reception on the occasion of Italian National Day; Residence of the Italian Ambassador, Grant Road, Wellington; Wednesday, June 2 2010.

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Your Excellency Gioachino Trizzino e Signora.

Members of the Diplomatic Corps, fellow Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, members of the Italian community in New Zealand, ladies and gentlemen.

It is both an honour and a pleasure to reply on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Murray McCully to the Ambassador's toast to Her Majesty the Queen of New Zealand, on this occasion celebrating the National Day of Italy.

New Zealand and Italy share a warm friendship that has only grown over many years.  At the heart of this friendship are the interpersonal links which are the foundation of this relationship.
 
These links have come a long way since the first intrepid young Italians were drawn by the promise of riches to the goldfields of Otago in the 1860s.  Today some 10,000 New Zealanders travel to Italy each year, and approximately 8,000 Italians visit our shores.  We are looking forward to welcoming many more Italians next year as we host the 2011 Rugby World Cup! Our nations are both renowned for our love of rugby, and one of our own greats, John Kirwan, lent his expertise to your national team, guiding them to historic victories in 2003 and 2004.

One integral part of our relationship is the working holiday scheme. Implemented in 2002 it allows new generations of young New Zealanders and Italians to discover the riches of each other's country.  Last year some 50 New Zealanders and 400 Italians participated and we hope that these numbers, and the associated benefits for our bilateral relations, will continue to grow in years to come.  At the same time it is pleasing to see ongoing high level contacts between our two countries exemplified by visits last year by the Italian Trade Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister to New Zealand and the planned New Zealand parliamentary delegation visit to Italy later this year.

The New Zealand-Italian community has also grown significantly since the heady days of the Otago Goldrush.  Tonight is a fitting opportunity to pay tribute to the contribution of the New Zealand Italian community to our civic and national life - a contribution that far exceeds its size, adding vibrancy and colour to both our cultural and our culinary landscape. 

In the international arena, as noted by Your Excellency, New Zealand and Italy share a likeminded approach to many issues, we share a common commitment to the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.  An excellent example of this close collaboration is our cooperative research in the Antarctic region, which we view as extremely valuable.  New Zealand and Italian defence forces have also stood shoulder to shoulder in support of the same goals in theatres such as the Balkans and Kosovo in the 1990s and today in Afghanistan.

An apt description of our relationship is "multifaceted" - trade is also an important component.  Italy remains our 3rd most important export market in Europe, our 4th most important source of imports from Europe and, overall, our fourth most important trading partner within the European Union.  We believe that New Zealand, through our Asian-Pacific connections, including recent FTAs with China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and ASEAN, offers a potential springboard for Italian companies looking to improve or expand their market penetration into this growing region. 

We greatly value our relationship with Italy as a founding member of the European Union (EU).  The EU is New Zealand's second most important trading partner, and it remains of vital commercial importance to New Zealand.  Working with Italy and other EU Member States we remain committed to the further expansion and development of our links with the European Union.

In recognition of the continuation and expansion of our longstanding friendship, it is my privilege, on behalf of the Government of New Zealand, to propose a toast to the President, His Excellency Mr Giorgio Napolitano, and to the Government, the representatives, and the people of the Italian Republic.