NE, ZEALAND TOUR 1967
LUNCHEON IVEN BY IR. HOLYOAKI, PRIME MIFISTER
OF NE'J ZEALMND IN HONOUR OF MR. HOLT, PRIME
MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA
': ELLINJTON, EL Z: ALAND 3RD FLJRUARY, 1967.
Text of Speech Made by IMir. HIolvoake
Right Hon. Harold Holt, Mr:. Stevenson, Your Excellencies, my
Ministerial and Parliamentary colleagues, and Jentlemen:
It gives me tremendous pleasure on oehalf of you all
and on behalf of all of the people of New Zealand, to issue the
warmest welcome that I am capaole of doing to our Juest of Honour,
the Ri. ht Hon. Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia. It is
only 12 brief months since he ecame Prime Minister of Australia,
but in that time he has already won for himself a very distinctive
place and earned a reputation for decision-making and for veing a
very decisive and active leader, and we are all delighted that
he is able to find the time possible practically a long weekend
out of a very busy life to come to meet New Zealanders on their
own ground. This we take as a great compliment to us. are
delighted also of course that his charming and elegant wife was
aole to accompany him.
Need I say that Australians and ' ew Zealanders have
always been close friends, and we always will be. I think that
our relationship is without parallel throughout the world. It is
unique. There is nothing quite like it. It is true that we are
linked together by treaty, but it is not the formal word, it is
not the printed word, it is not the treaty that really binds us
together. These things I think, are embedded deep in our
unIerstanding of each other, in our mutual respect, in our common
heritage, and in our common destiny.
' e have always oeen aware of many similarities. lie
have the same language almost the same, I'm not up to date on
this. I remember an old friend of mine many years ago telling me
that he could speak the Australian language. So I asked him why,
and he told me he visited Australia once. It was in the time of
the fight for the universal franchise a long time ago. He said
he was going down a street at King's Blank Cross and he heard two
Australians arguin, and one said " Bill, what do they mean ' one
man, one vote' And Bill said ".' ell it's simple: it's just
one blank man one blank vote." And John said if they
blanketty well mean one blank man, one blank vote, why don't they
blanketty well say so." He contended that he had in that short
time learned to speak the Australian language. I am not better
informed on what he meant or actually what happened than that.
Our languae our origins, our membership of the
Commonwealth, our mutual love of sport our determination to fight
for the liberties of man which we consider fundamental to our
mutual way of life these thinis we have so much in common. These
are, I believe, the basic truths and principles upon which our
deep friendship rests: these are the things. I do want to make
this point and Harold Holt ; would, I am sure, wish me to make it
that neither of us is either the image or the echo of the other.
* 7e have also dissimilar characteristics and these are understandable.
New Zealand is a group of islands. Australia is a great continent
one of the treat continents of the world. In New Zealand we have
almost matchless resources for pastoral pursuits, the growing of / 2
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grass almost a perfect climate as you will have noticed,
Harold. I am bound in extenuation to point out that this is
the tail-end of cyclone " Dinah" which originated somewhere in the
great continent towards our north-west somewhere, I think. On
the other hand, of course, Australia has vast supplies of coal,
iron, and very many other now very valuable minerals, in addition
to her great agricultural wealth. Dissimilar we have less than
000,000 population Australia, 12 000,000. So these are the
obvious differences between us, and that will continue to produce and
perhaps emphasise, and some people over-emphasise further
aifferences. I think this an inevitable thing. People do tend to
over-emphasise the difference oetween Jrothers and sisters, because
they expect them to be so much alike. They do not do this where
people are not closely related. These are the obvious differences
in what we can produce, what we may achieve, but what is important,
we think, is that our peoples are ooth seeking the same goals
together and in very much the same ways. 1e are moving toward
them together. This I believe, particularly in recent years
has been happening in a very great variety of settings in the
Commonwealth in the United Nations, in SEATO and AZUS, in ECAFE
the Colombo flan, ASPAC, and now in the Asian Development 3ank and
other spheres I could mention. I think it is worth calling to our
minds that some 65 years ago, when the people of Australia were
considering the question of a Federal Constitution, we were
invited to discuss this with them and perhaps take a part and
become a part of that Federation. It was considered. Those who
preceded us decided no. ie had our own special destiny: we had
our own special aspirations: and so we would keep apart. ., e
felt that we had -erhaps a distinctive contrioution to make. In
our humble way we have tried to make it. 3ut again I come back to
the fact that particul. rly in the last 25 years in this very
rapidly changing world, we have reacted to the same problems, the
same positions, the same challenges in very much the same way. The
discussions that my Cabinet colleagues and I were privileged to
have with Mr. Holt this morning only tended and served to emphasise
and underline that fact. We have ooth learned of course that we
not only cannot ignore but we desire to know our near neighbours
in the north much better the people of South East Asia and of
Asia generally. ie realise more than ever and every day that
goes past does emphasise it that our destiny is tied up with
these countries in the matter of security, culture trade. Je
can learn much from them, from the association with their old
and their rich cultures.
' e have learned to make new friends and we have
made them very much together. Yes, there are differences between
us but we do recognise that our paths lie very close parallel.
I think nerhaps the development of recent years with the tremendous
travel between our two countries of our own peoples: I am
informed about 50,000 each year now businessmen, tourists,
artists, sportsmen and the rest. This of course, is serving to
tie us much more closely together, and 1 look forward, we in ew
Zealand look forward, to a continuation and indeed a growth of
these exchanges between our peoples so that not only Parliamentarians,
not only businessmen, but the man in the street as we label him,
can get to know the other on their own ground. This is very
important indeed.
Mrs. Stevenson, Your Excellencies, Jentlemen, there is so much
more that one could say, but you will want to listen to Harold
Holt, our Guest of Honour. I am . oing presently to invite I'r.
Hugh ;. att, the Deputy Leader of te Opposition, to join me in
this welcome before I propose the toast to our Juest of Honour.
All I can say is that on your behalf those of you gathered
here: and this Harold, is a very good cross-section of all of
our people, so I know I can speak on uehalf of all our people when
I say to you that I cannot think of anybody who could possibly be
more warmly welcomed here in lellington and in New Zealand you
and your wife. May you feel this in the few days you are here:,
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may you feel this warmth of friendship exuding and reaching out
towards you. May you, as a result of th: t, take awa very happy
memories, deep memories, of the fondness o the people of iew
Zealand for yourself, your wife, and the people of ustralia
generally. You are just exactly a thousand times welcome here in
. ellin-ton and New Zealand. Now I invite Mr. Hugh . i'att to join
me in this welcome. H--1