The New Zealand Society and the Worshipful Company of Girdlers have been celebrating Waitangi Day together for over 75 years now.  The following is an extract from the current Clerk, Richard Sullivan's book A History of the Girdlers' New Zealand Scholarship, Part 2 (London, 1999).
"It was in 1933 on 6th February, the anniversary of the signing of the treaty of Waitangi, that the Company first entertained the New Zealand Society for tea at Girdlers' Hall, after their commemoration service at St Lawrence Jewry.  That tea party, which has become and annual event, marked the beginning of the close association between the Company and New Zealand.  It led to the Company's foundation, in 1952, of a Scholarship for New Zealand undergraduates to go to Oxford or Cambridge…." - a scholarship which the Girdlers continue to this day.  The New Zealand Society is very proud of the small part we have played in forging this relationship, and although the tea party is now more wine and canapés, the annual Service and Reception is one of the highlights on our calendar.
This year the Rev. D Burgess, chaplain at St Lawrence Jewry, welcomed us to the service and saw that the evening went smoothly.  The Rev. B Olsen, a fluent speaker in Maori, spoke very movingly in both English and Maori.  Barry's wife, Marion Olsen, Mezzo Soprano, sang during the ceremony, accompanied by Margaret Lion.  Ngati Ranana members also took part, as the service had songs in English and Maori, and they also featured singing as an unaccompanied group during part of the service.  A great remedy for any homesick kiwi. 
Author and actress Barbara Ewing, who had rearranged a flight to New Zealand simply so she could be there, addressed the full house during the service and attended the reception afterwards.  Barbara's address struck a particular chord with me, as she left New Zealand when very young because of the opportunities offered to her in the UK, that certainly at the time were not available to an aspiring young actress in NZ.  Having succeeded in her ambitions in the UK, Barbara feels she is in many ways torn between two worlds - New Zealand is home, but the UK is also now very dear to her.  Barbara also spoke of the influences, personal and political, in both NZ and the UK that have impacted or changed this 'split personality' over the intervening years. 
Barbara was, incidentally, one of the founding members of Ngati Ranana in the UK!
Following the service we adjourned to Girdlers Hall, and enjoyed some very fine wine, good food, and the hospitality of the Girdlers. 

Delicious retro Kiwi canapés (remember those little white crustless asparagus sandwiches, or boiled eggs cut in halves with curried stuffing, and even fish fingers + chips served on newspaper?) were the order of the day when the Society put on a warm welcome for new members in the NZ House Penthouse on 16 March. And it was all washed down with complementary Monteiths. NZ High Commissioner Jonathan Hunt, in adding his greeting to new members, declared the Penthouse would in future be a "Foreign Wine Free Zone" cementing its reputation as not only one of the finest views of London but also a place guaranteed to serve only the world's finest wines.
 

 
More than a few during the evening were distracted by the Black Caps' disappointing batting start against England at the World Cup. They needn't have worried as our boys comfortably completed the run chase in only the 41st over. 
 
The clear view amongst the Society's new members was that the evening was a terrific way to enjoy the tastes of New Zealand while making new friends and contacts far from home.

I turned up at New Zealand House for two readings; by Barbara Ewing and Stella Duffy.

It was a perfect evening.  Firstly, the weather (sorry, I can't help myself) clear skies, sunshine, views that first timers to NZ House were in awe of.  And then there was the food.   Bacon and egg pie, asparagus rolls, salads, chicken, fine New Zealand wine and jugs of Pimms.  Of course the reason for being there was to listen to Barbara and Stella, not merely to gaze at the scenery and fill our stomachs.
 
With a stunning backdrop of London, Barbara started with an introduction about her work as an actress and writer, then gave us a reading from her latest novel, The Mesmerist, an evocative Victorian tale, which held our breath and made us all want more.
 
Stella read from Beneath the Blonde (partly set in New Zealand) and ended with Singling Out The Couples, a magical realism story set in London, which the 65 audience members were captivated by.
 
Two very different readings but equally exciting.  Half way through, we witnessed the most spectacular sunset, bouncing off Canary Wharf Tower.  As I said, a perfect evening, where old and new friends came together and left, as I did, a little bit happier, quite a lot fuller and greatly entertained.

Barbara Ewing

Stella Duffy

Mark Thompson the Chef

Events organised in conjunction with other groups have always been particularly successful, and this was also the case with the sell-out recital at the Penthouse given by the Antipodes Quartet on 27 July, in the presence of New Zealand High Commissioner Jonathan Hunt and an audience in which the New Zealanders were outnumbered by a large contingent of Brits from the Royal Over-Seas League.  This sort of balance is very welcome, and served as a reminder that one of the principal aims of the Society is to further good relations between the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
 
The Antipodes Quartet did much to achieve this goal, with performances of the Hayden String Quartet in C Op 74 No 1 and Ravel's Quartet in F major that would have graced the Wigmore Hall.  Their playing combined energy and lyricism, exemplified in particular by the contrast between the pizzicato and melodic sections in the second movement of the Ravel, which for a moment seemed to bring a shimmering Mediterranean haze to the London sky-line in the background.  Despite the occasional slight hum from the lift machinery, the Penthouse is a spectacular location for chamber music, particularly after the audience has enjoyed a few glasses of New Zealand wine. 
 
The concert was made possible through the generosity of Prof. and Mrs Pettman (not their only contribution to music in New Zealand), and the energy of Roderick Lakin, musical director of ROSL Arts.  A heartening piece of news from the programme is that, when the Antipodes Quartet won the Pettman/ROSL ARTS International Scholarship in New Zealand, they faced competition from no less than twenty entrants.  Several of the ROSL members expressed the hope that July's Penthouse concert will become a regular event, and if this happens it is clear that there will be no shortage of talent.
 
Alan Hawley
NZ Society Committee

Rugby World Cup Raffle

Thanks to Mark Hudson of  the National Sporting Club  who donated two tickets the the World Cup Captains' Dinner as the raffle prize; the tickets were sold exclusively at the pool games. As usual, the raffle proceeds go to our charity fund. Mark drew the winner at the last pool game on Sunday 30 September, and Pauline Zumbach was delighted to be there to accept her prize from him. www.nationalsportingclub.co.uk