Speeches 

Greg Thomas, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting the Prime Minister to attend the celebration to mark the centenary of Katherine Mansfield's departure from New Zealand. Helen regrets that business out of Wellington precludes her from being here today. However, she is delighted to make her official residence available for the occasion, and I am equally delighted, as the Labour List MP resident in Wellington, to act as her representative today.

I mentioned just now that the House in which we meet today, now known as Premier House, serves as the official residence of the Prime Minister. Formerly, of course, it was the Ward residence, Awarua. How appropriate that this celebration should be held in the same building as Katherine Mansfield's farewell party. It is good to have this opportunity to honour our premier writer in Premier House.

Like many New Zealanders of her generation, Katherine Mansfield felt she had to leave New Zealand to develop as an artist. But like so many of our cultural exiles, her work constantly referenced her childhood experiences in New Zealand, and she obviously felt very strong ties to New Zealand for the rest of her life. Since her death, her reputation has grown, and we are proud to recognise her as one of our greatest writers.

There has been huge interest in Katherine Mansfield's life and letters, and the house in Tinakori Road has become a site of pilgrimage for the scholars and readers who have been captivated by her work. The house has become a real cultural landmark for New Zealanders and international visitors. Katherine Mansfield spoke in our language and captured something important about what it meant to be a New Zealander. She was a pioneer for all the New Zealand writers who followed her.

Katherine Mansfield set out to convey the truth of a moment, and the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace sets out to accomplish the truth of her childhood experience in material terms. I must acknowledge the enthusiasm and commitment of the members of the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society for saving the house and restoring it to the state it is in today.

Your extraordinary attention to detail in the refurbishment and the restoration of the original garden has meant that the visitor almost feels like they are trespassing in an authentic family home. We can imagine the events recounted in her stories, and imagine Wellington life at the beginning of the last century.

Congratulations to everyone concerned with this project on reaching this anniversary - please enjoy the party, and celebrate in the style that Katherine Mansfield would have expected.

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