Source: New Zealand Government
The Honourable Job Pomat, Speaker of the Papua New Guinea National Parliament,
The Honourable James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea,
The Honourable Douglas Tomuriesa, Leader of the Opposition,
Honourable Members,
Distinguished guests, members of the diplomatic corps, ladies and gentlemen, and
The people of Papua New Guinea
Tēnā koutou, Gutpela Morning Tru Olgeta, Good Morning to you all,
I want to begin by acknowledging the Motu-Koita People of the Port Moresby area, as the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered. Daba Namona.
I also wish to open by expressing my best wishes to all of Papua New Guinea, on your upcoming 50th Anniversary of Independence. On behalf of New Zealand and all New Zealanders, please accept my sincerest congratulations ahead of your Golden Jubilee.
Mr Speaker,
It is a deep honour for me to address this Parliament today.
I am extremely conscious of the rare privilege you have granted me, as the first Prime Minister of New Zealand invited to speak in this esteemed Chamber, and through all of you, Honourable Members, with the people of Papua New Guinea whom you represent.
Because this building is more than a seat of government. It is a house where the spirit of Papua New Guinea finds its collective voice – voices of your tribes and towns, of your islands and highlands, of your elders and your youth, and of your men and women. They are voices that help navigate your national journey between tradition and transformation.
And today, I am humbled to bring another voice, and – I hope – a spirit from your Pacific kith and kin from New Zealand – your friend.
Mr Speaker,
It is clear to me that Papua New Guinea is an ambitious nation.
And so you should be.
You are a nation whose spirit rises with the mist over the Highlands, whose determination flows with the mighty Sepik and Fly rivers, and whose potential is as high as Mt Wilhelm.
You are a nation rich not only in natural beauty and resources, but in the resilience, creativity, and spirit of your people.
I know this venerable house is where you, as the nations’ elected leaders, are entrusted with the ambitions, the aspirations, the dreams of your people for a bright future.
But your country is not only ambitious — it is courageous. Papua New Guinea is not for the faint-hearted. Your mountains are precipitous, your coastlines wild, your cultures and languages legendarily diverse.
Yet you are charting your own course — embracing democracy, celebrating diversity, and pursuing development and peace in a uniquely human and Papua New Guinean way.
Honourable Members,
Your courage means Papua New Guinea has never shied away from acknowledging the development challenges you face, or questioning choices made or paths taken.
Those are good questions any country should ask; neither of our nations should settle for the status quo or cease to strive for a better future.
But it is worth acknowledging that over the past fifty years, you have forged a land of 1000 tribes into one nation, one people, one country – through a shared commitment to democracy, the importance of community, and the belief that from diversity comes strength.
These are values that New Zealand also shares.
Mr Speaker,
Fifty years ago, New Zealand’s then Minister of Māori Affairs, Hon Matiu Rata, travelled to Papua New Guinea to represent the New Zealand Government at the independence ceremonies in Port Moresby.
He carried with him a message from Prime Minister Rowling, conveying best wishes and a solemn promise: that Papua New Guinea “can count at all times on the affection, support, and good wishes of New Zealand”.
Even in 1975, it was clear that a prosperous and peaceful Papua New Guinea mattered to New Zealand.
There are several reasons why. Your country is blessed with tremendous mineral wealth; vast agricultural potential; and a youthful, dynamic population.
Your economic trajectory holds enormous promise for your own people, for our Pacific region, and for New Zealand.
Our businesses are already working together, with Kiwi firms actively enabling your agricultural development, enhancing the efficiency of your resources sector, and delivering some of your most celebrated and important landmarks – including Gordon’s Market, the Kumul Flyover Bridge to Jacksons Airport, and this very Parliament.
Regionally, Papua New Guinea accounts for over three-quarters of the Pacific Islands landmass and almost two-thirds of its people. But your size means, where you go, the Pacific goes. Where you succeed, the Pacific succeeds.
Your strategic position, connecting the Pacific to Asia, puts you at the heart of the Indo-Pacific, playing a critical role for trade routes, and presenting opportunities to renew and deepen ancient ties – whether it be through your successful hosting of APEC in 2018, or your convening power for major engagements that connect the Pacific to the wider world.
But that same geographic position also means that in times of turbulence, including both World Wars and at no small cost, Papua New Guinea has acted as a barrier between conflict in the world and the rest of the region. Your country is, as you have pointed out to me Prime Minister, both a buffer and a bridge between Asia and the Pacific.
It therefore almost goes without saying, Honourable Members, that Papua New Guinea matters to New Zealand. And the Government I lead is committed to strengthening our friendship and joint endeavours with you.
Mr Speaker,
My visit is timed to celebrate 50 years of formal diplomatic relations between our two countries.
But our ties go back much further than this. For generations, our peoples have shared stories, trade, and traditions.
Millennia ago, explorers voyaged your waters. Some remained amid the bounty of your islands. Others continued – and eventually some 800 years ago the ancestors of New Zealand Māori – reached the much colder but no less bountiful islands that we call home.
This shared heritage is the backbone of our relationship. We share ancient stories that link us across our beautiful but vast Pacific home.
Our peoples later reconnected, with New Zealand missionaries coming to Papua New Guinea in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to share their faith – a bond important to our peoples today.
We later fought alongside one another during the Second World War, where the 3rd New Zealand Division played an active role in defending Papua New Guinea. Our largest amphibious operation during the war took place in this country, with New Zealand troops part of the effort to retake Torokina and Nissan Island – and four New Zealand Airforce Squadrons subsequently involved in the campaign to retake the critical airbase at Rabaul.
Our peoples fought and died together in those challenging times. And today, New Zealand soldiers lie in Papua New Guinean soil, in the hallowed cemeteries at Bomana, Lae, and Bita Paka.
But those New Zealanders who returned spoke strongly of the welcome they received by Papua New Guineans, and the friendships they developed.
The Post-war period saw those friendships increase further – with New Zealand teachers, nurses, builders, and engineers all coming to Papua New Guinea to support a new nation as you headed toward independence.
Since then, our peoples have continued to actively support each others’ communities. No fewer than seven New Zealand Prime Ministers have visited Papua New Guinea since independence. I am honoured to be the eighth.
The High Commissioner tells me that wherever he travels in Papua New Guinea, he finds New Zealanders – whether teaching in local schools, running small businesses, or supporting the work of NGOs. Some have been here for decades, quietly contributing to their communities and helping to foster the ties between our nations.
New Zealand volunteers have been active here since independence, contributing in fields ranging from nursing to agricultural science, and from fisheries to high school counselling. None have left unaffected by the warmth and the love they encountered here – you have a great many advocates back in New Zealand.
The Papua New Guinean community in New Zealand is a vibrant one. It includes university lecturers and livestock consultants; small business owners and teachers. There are Papua New Guinean engineers helping deliver major new highways, and owner-operator plasterers contributing to housing. These are your wantoks, making our country better.
Prime Minister Marape,
The honour of being invited to address this House has caused me to consider “what is New Zealand to Papua New Guinea?”. Of course, we are long-standing friends. That is a given. But I want to reflect on New Zealand’s past, present, and future contributions to Papua New Guinea.
I have heard you share your thoughts on this, Prime Minister. I know you find value in New Zealand’s experience in the public sector, on state owned enterprises, on private sector development, and in trade agriculture.
I believe there are also experiences relevant to your many tribes, in indigenous business and the success of iwi development models in New Zealand.
There are many examples of our partnership supporting Papua New Guinea’s development. Ranging from New Zealand’s support to develop your Fresh Produce Development Agency in the 1980s, through to our work together to improve the ease of doing business, critical for unlocking economic growth potential.
Our work as part of the Papua New Guinea electrification partnership has connected over 10,000 households to the electricity grid. And, since independence, our scholarships programme has provided over 600 tertiary scholarships, plus numerous short-term training and capacity-building opportunities. But there is more we can do, working together as partners, to contribute to Papua New Guinea’s development aspirations.
I spoke last night of the strength of our defence and security cooperation – with many of your officers having learned the art of leadership in the legendary freezing temperatures of Waiouru Military Camp. We have a shared ambition to do more in this space.
We remain honoured to have played a facilitative role in helping Bougainvilleans find an initial truce among themselves and then, with Papua New Guinea. And we continue to walk alongside both Governments as you jointly seek a mutually-agreed way forward – including through our recent hosting of consultations at Burnham Military Camp.
And on the shared global challenge of climate change, we are together raising our voices in world forums, where the urgency of the Pacific’s experience must drive action.
Prime Minister,
While there are differences between our countries, there are many parallels, as well as similarities, in geography, culture and scale. Perhaps it is in fact, the exchange of ideas and ways of doing things between two friends that should be the most important item on our shared future agenda?
I look forward to discussing the opportunities to strengthen this further when we meet later today.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members,
As Pacific countries, both New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have a vested interest in ensuring the security and prosperity of our region.
Prime Minister Kirk was an active proponent for Papua New Guinea’s membership of the then-South Pacific Forum in the early 1970s, with Sir Michael Somare present at the creation. In fact, I wouldn’t mind betting that the Grand Chief then went on to become the Leader who attended the most Forum Leaders’ meetings of any of us.
Today, Papua New Guinea plays a critical leadership role in our regional architecture. I know that you, Prime Minister, are especially interested in what more we can do together in this space.
My view is that at a time of sharpening geostrategic tensions, where others’ actions and priorities may seed division among our Pacific family, it is more important than ever that we work together with fellow Pacific Islands Forum Members
When talking about our two countries’ relationship with the Pacific, however, it would be remiss of me, of course, not to mention Australia – an indispensable partner to both our nations, and who, as a fellow Pacific country, engages at significant scale here and throughout the region, in support of Pacific priorities.
There is more that the three of us can do together, and in concert with other Pacific countries, to ensure our continued peace and prosperity, and to deliver on our collective ambitions under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Honourable Members,
As we celebrate Papua New Guinea’s 50th Anniversary, and the fifty years of partnership between our two countries, I want to close by reflecting on the prospects for our future engagement.
I am heartened by this trusted friendship we have built – but am also ambitious for our relationship.
I am convinced the best is yet to come – both for Papua New Guinea and for our partnership.
Our political engagement is strong. We should continue to expand our partnership at the Ministerial level, and to better link our institutions.
Your success in holding an unbroken record of democracy since independence, and keeping your peace and stability matters greatly to us and to the region. But there is more we can do together to support this.
Our trade has been growing, but there’s scope for us to do much more. In both directions. Including by fully integrating Papua New Guinea into our regional trading arrangements.
We can do more to leverage the connections between our peoples. We are making it easier for Papua New Guineans to visit New Zealand. I certainly hope more New Zealanders will visit the natural and cultural wonders of Papua New Guinea – and experience everything that you have to offer. Separately, labour mobility is already an area of growth, but one where we should not rest on our laurels.
We can do more to grow our sporting ties – whether it is League, Union, Soccer, Cricket, or Netball – as well as our shared cultural connections.
And we should give further thought to how we can work more closely together on regional and global issues. At a time of turbulence, it is up to us to create and defend the region that we want, and to influence the world we want to live in.
Mr Speaker
Even in 1975, Prime Minister Rowling spoke of Papua New Guinea as “a land with which New Zealand has forged close and lasting ties.” Fifty years ago, we were already close.
I hope that in 50 years time, when my successor comes for your centennial celebrations, he or she will be able to look back on a partnership that has continued to go ‘beyond a handshake’, and has seen us continue to invest in each other’s success.
Ultimately, the strength of our partnership lies not only in governments – it lies in people. It is strengthened as friendships are forged and as challenges are identified and faced down together.
New Zealand is committed to wok wantaim and will make good on our shared belief, that by working together New Zealand and Papua New Guinea can create a bright and bold future for ourselves and be an example to the world.
Tenk yu tumas olgeta, lukim yu bihain.
No reira; tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.