Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellows Award Ceremony

Government House, Auckland

Hon Tariana Turia,

Minister of the Community and Voluntary Sector

 

Your Excellencies, the Governor-General of New Zealand, the Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand, and Lady Satyanand, members of the Trust Board, Fellows and welcomed guests.

 

When the name Winston Churchill is mentioned, it is frequently associated with his leadership as a British politician; Prime Minister; a statesman, or as an officer in the British Army.

 

Inevitably, his greatest contribution tends to be represented in the famous speech he gave in the midst of World War Two, encapsulated in the phrase, “we shall fight them on the beaches”.

 

But perhaps Churchill’s most enduring monument was a fight for the human spirit; the pursuit of world peace, of upholding values.

 

In a tribute to the Royal Marines in 1936, Sir Winston Churchill told the people gathered there, “those who do not think of the future are unworthy of their ancestors”.

 

These were people on the brink of war, being encouraged by classic Churchill – inspiring, eloquent, challenging, heartfelt.

 

Today we are gathered to celebrate the achievements and aspirations of twenty-four Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellows, who completed their fellowships in 2007 and 2008.

 

Each of the Fellows are stretching horizons in the fields of art, health, social services and human development – while at the same time, acting in a way which honours their ancestors.

 

The fellows were each thinking of the future through their particular research programmes; and doing so in a way which is essentially about enriching their communities and the nation on their return.

 

As Churchill has said, “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have”.

 

The 24 fellows we pay tribute to this day, are all the proof we need of the rich benefits that our community receives from the variety of research fellowships undertaken.

 

Indeed, when I reflect back on the fact that since the Trust was established in 1965, more than 700 research fellowships have been awarded, it gives just some indication of the incredible wealth of learning that has been invested in our nation.

 

I have every confidence that the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellows we recognise here this afternoon, will play a significant role in our collective futures by applying the learning from their global counterparts to our own situations at home.

 

The scholars have researched a diverse range of topics.

 

From green burials, to sustainable neighbourhood regeneration projects, to strategies to enable minority voices to be heard in the mainstream media, the fellowships offer benefits right across New Zealand communities.

 

The Fellows have conducted a fascinating range of research interests.

 

There is analysis of heritage tourism; the infrastructure request for sound-art; or the impact of poison prevention programmes and poison centres.

 

Stephanie McIntrye travelled to Britain, Canada and America to visit ‘wet’ hostels and ‘wet’ day centres – that is, initiatives which have been established for chronically relapsing alcoholics.

 

There are projects focusing on mental health; on independent living arrangements for young people coming out-of-state-care; prison meditation; treatment strategies that are effective for internet gamblers.

 

Peter Dean travelled to Australia and South Africa to research how criminal justice systems deal with child witnesses, while Jill Goldson examined child-inclusive counselling mediation in the UK.

 

I’m particularly looking forward to the findings of Carol Wrathall who travelled to Canada to conduct a comparative study of indigenous models of wh
nau violence prevention.

 

As in Aotearoa, the First Nation people of Canada are looking within their own cultures for solutions to the problem of family violence.

 

And perhaps one of the most distinctive projects is the work pioneered by Sharon Thorburn, who travelled to Venezuela and the United States, to research setting up a system of choirs as an initiative to intervene in the lives of disadvantaged children and youth.

 

In the time available today, I will never have sufficient time to do justice to the innovative ideas that these Fellows have brought back to New Zealand.

 

I want to thank you all sincerely, for the generosity of spirit, and the sacrifices made as each of you spent between three weeks and three months following your chosen course of study.

 

You have been prepared to stand up and be counted, unafraid to take on the risk of facing new challenges; giving life to another Churchill expression “the first quality that is needed is audacity”.

 

Each of you has demonstrated that bold audacity to dare to step outside, to look at other experiences, and then to share your experiences for the greater benefit of our country.

 

But there is one more group of people I want to honour today, and that is the members of the Trust Board: Dr Alastair MacCormick; Dr Sayeeda Bano, Pefi Kingi; Margy-Jean Malcolm; Dennis Oliver, Murray Parsons, Rachael Selby, Dr Marion Taylor and Sheena Tepania.

 

Your hard work is greatly appreciated. With applications coming from such a wide range of backgrounds, the task of assessing and selecting applications for funding is extensive.

 

I commend you for the work you do, voluntarily, in selecting the successful applicants whose work will benefit New Zealanders, and for managing the finances of the Trust.

 

 

Finally, I would like to thank the patron of the Trust, His Excellency Sir Anand Satyanand, for hosting this ceremony today and recognising the achievements of the fellows.

 

And if I could end with just one more golden statement from Sir Winston Churchill, it is the thought that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.

 

This room is full of people who have given so fully of themselves, to enhance life for us all. Thank you to you all, for your vision, your integrity and your commitment.