6 February 2007

Anderton sees more to celebrate each year

Jim Anderton sees New Zealand as a nation of diverse and talented people with more and more to celebrate every year. Speaking at the Orongomai Marae, he said " I first came to Waitangi Day celebrations here in the Hutt at the end of the nineties. Back then I said the reason I came here was the way this day is celebrated here symbolises optimism and positivity."

Jim Anderton said "New Zealanders are good at uniting behind top achievers in sports and I would like to see that extended so that we learn to build on our diverse strengths in all our other spheres of life as well. We should celebrate success for New Zealand when our businesspeople take on the world and win, and we should celebrate the creativity and talent we display across a wide range of individual and national achievements."

He said that he believes that New Zealand is more creative than many other countries and that there is an easy explanation for that. "We are small and a long way from other countries. So we are used to having to come up with our own ideas. We have to be resourceful."

"New Zealand's increasingly diverse ethnic mix was an added advantage and brought further creativity to the nation. Look at the ethnic violence and hatred we read about all over the world - from murderous sectarian groups in Iraq, to inflamed racial tensions in developed European countries where film-makers have been murdered, cartoonists threatened, cars torched and more. We have none of that. So today is a day to celebrate our success in finding a way for a multitude of ethnic groups to live along side each other in peace," Jim Anderton said.

ENDS

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