Their Excellencies, The Honourable Anand Satyanand and Susan Satyanand Hon Minister Chris Carter & Partner, Their Worships, The Mayors Member of Parliament Dr Ashraf Choudhary and Mrs Choudhary, Community Leaders Fellow Muslim Brothers and Sisters, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am deeply honoured by your presence today and I take great pleasure in welcoming all of you to this special occasion to honour our Governor-General His Excellency, The Honorable Anand Satyanand and Her Excellency Mrs Susan Satyanand.

It is indeed a privilege and honour to host this dinner in honour of Their Excellencies.

On 23 August 2006, the curtain raised a new chapter in the history of New Zealand when His Excellency The Hon Anand Satyanand took the Oath of Office as the Governor-General of New Zealand and its realm.

The appointment of His Excellency is significant in two respects.

• Firstly, Although His Excellency’s parents were migrants to New Zealand from Fiji and his forefathers were from India, he was born and raised in Auckland and as such, he is from the minority Fijian-Indian group in New Zealand. That he was the first appointee from a minority group is a testament that New Zealand has truly matured well as a nation that provides equality of opportunity for all New Zealanders irrespective of colour and creed.

• Secondly, His Excellency’s appointment is inspirational to others in the minority group in New Zealand to reach for the skies and rise up to the challenge and excel in their pursuit of achieving greater success in life.

His Excellency’s distinguished career began in the legal profession which saw him rising from Crown Solicitor to District Court Judge in 1982 and then as the Ombudsman in 1995 to 2005. Prior to his apex appointment as the Governor-General of New Zealand, His Excellency was the first Registrar of Pecuniary Interests of Members of Parliament. In all these roles, His Excellency discharged his duties with devotion and dignity and has won the respect and confidence of the Crown and the people. I am very sure that His Excellency will serve the country and the people of New Zealand with the same dignity, willingness and cheerfulness but with added aplomb and savoir faire as the Head of the State.

His Excellency’s appointment has affirmed my conviction that New Zealand being the secular state is also truly multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural bound together in pursuit of a more equal and a more just society. I feel very proud to call myself a New Zealander and I am pretty sure that all of you will share in my sentiment.

In his new role as the Governor-General of New Zealand, His Excellency has also been entrusted to perform the social duties for he is the Patron of many different charitable, cultural, sporting and social organisations which follows the tradition of royal patronage. Your Excellencies will, no doubt, undertake these social duties with natural grace and poise.

I am most grateful to Your Excellencies to have accepted our invitation to attend this dinner in honour of Your Excellencies. I am most pleased that a wide cross-section of members of the Muslim community mostly from the Auckland and Hamilton regions are also able to join us in this occasion.

Before I yield this podium over to His Excellency to address the gathering, I would like to briefly highlight on the Federation’s role functions and the Muslim community of New Zealand.

FIANZ and It’s Role

Prior to 1979, the needs of the Muslim community in New Zealand were met by the Regional Muslim Associations. The functions performed and services provided by these Associations catered mainly for the immediate needs of the local communities. Soon, it became apparent that a national body was required to coordinate the activities of these regional associations and represent Muslims on national and international level.

Hence, in September 1979, the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) was established. The seven Regional Associations which came together to form FIANZ are:

• New Zealand Muslim Association

• South Auckland Muslim Association

• Waikato Muslim Association

• Manawatu Muslim Association

• International Muslim Association of New Zealand

• Muslim Association of Canterbury

Since its inception in 1979, FIANZ had been playing an important and valuable role in building better understanding between the Muslim community and the other various ethnic and religious communities in New Zealand so as to live harmoniously and cohesively together. Its primary role is to see that the many and varied interests of New Zealand’s Muslim community are looked after. In this regard, FIANZ is responsible for the promotion of religious, social, educational, economic and cultural activities in accordance with the principles and traditions of Islam as enshrined in the Holy Qur’an and the traditions of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

The principal functions of FIANZ are as follows:

1. Maintain a high standard of Islamic practice among the Muslim community.

2. Administer Halal Certifications and maintain the Halal standards and practices with a view to promoting New Zealand meat exports to Muslim countries and Muslim consumers in non-Muslim countries.

3. Promote the interests and enhance the effectiveness of the Local Associations in New Zealand with a view to cooperate and co-exist well with other ethnic groups.

4. Undertake Da’wah activities and provide developmental grants to Local Associations.

5. Develop and maintain good relations with the diplomatic community in Wellington and Canberra and other International Islamic Organizations.

FIANZ has been in the forefront and has played a significant role in the development of the community and to forge common bonding among our Muslim brotherhood and the wider New Zealand community. FIANZ had been the prime mover of Islamic development in New Zealand. It has been playing a central role in protecting and advancing the interest of the Muslim community in New Zealand.

The Muslim community today is made up in excess of 40 different nationalities. Relatively speaking, the Muslim community in New Zealand is small. However, within the context of wider New Zealand society, we feel that we have always been an integral part of this nation and consider all citizens as partners in the cause of peace and prosperity, irrespective of race, faith, or ethnicity.

At this juncture, Your Excellency, I wish to express my deep appreciation for the unstinting support given by the New Zealand Government to the Federation and the Muslim community. By signaling such strong support, the New Zealand Government is committed to build a nation where every community’s contribution would be valued. The New Zealand Government believes that diversity makes our society a richer one. As a minority grouping in New Zealand, we share in the aspirations of the Government that we want a country where everyone can hold their head up high, irrespective of religion, faith, belief, ethnicity, and social origin.

The Muslim community here is able to live in peace and harmony with the wider New Zealand community. We have built up our way of life founded on Islamic beliefs and principles, and the New Zealand system has provided opportunities for all. Our community has worked diligently over the years to contribute to New Zealand’s success. We have striven to preserve our values and, at the same time, made practical adjustments amidst changing social circumstances. Our approach, which is true to our religion and yet pragmatic in its outlook, has enabled us to live as good Muslims in a multi-racial and multi-religious society, and contribute to New Zealand’s economic and social development over the years.

With our collective efforts, we are confident that we can maintain our values and our way of life as a community. We are also confident that the Muslim community in New Zealand will have the ability to make the right choices and be good Muslims at all times, in any environment. More than that, we can be confident that the community will continue to be a positive influence on, and a contributor to, the wider society. The Muslim community in New Zealand can also act as a bridge across the cultural divide between the Islamic and western worlds.

There are new challenges ahead of us as there will be progress in every field of human endeavour. Our community would be prepared to meet these challenges and embrace the changes that will come our way. The Muslim community will have to face these changes together with its combined will, resources and energy.

Your Excellency, I am pleased to report that the Muslim community is progressing well and has shown a new found confidence as well as a greater sense of urgency to want to develop faster. In this regard, the Federation continues to play a pivotal role in the progress of the community.

FIANZ has been recognised as a key player in the strategy for the development of the future security of New Zealand and we have committed ourselves to provide full cooperation. Although we are living in a secular society, we must realize that New Zealand is our home which we share with others from different faiths. Irrespective of the differences in creed, colour and beliefs, we are all partners in nation-building. It is imperative that our community plays a responsible role in the nation-building so that we strengthen our social fabric and cohesion to protect against bad influence and elements infiltrating our society in any manner or form. We always strive to make New Zealand to be a strong, healthy, peaceful, progressive and vibrant country in the world.

It is my sincere hope that all of us will join hands to enable FIANZ to continue to serve our community and our country, and serve them well in the spirit of Islam for peace, happiness, and progress for New Zealand and the whole human society. Only then, we would realize the true vision of Islam as “rahmatan lil alamin? (Blessing for the whole universe).

In closing, allow me to once again express my heartfelt thanks to Your Excellencies for graciously accepting our invitation to visit us in Auckland and to join us in this dinner. It is indeed a great honour to receive Your Excellencies.

On behalf of the Muslim community of New Zealand and everyone present here today, I pray to God Almighty to Bless Your Excellencies with good health and happiness.

Wasalaam and Thank you.

Javed Khan
President