Excellency, Prime Minister Key

Excellency, Ambassador Rider

Distinguished Guest

Ladies and Gentlemen

From Auckland to Hamburg it takes 44 days

at least if you don’t want to change your means of transportation.

There is a Sea Cruise connection between New Zealand’s capital, Auckland, and Hamburg.  I am sure it is a beautiful experience. However, I am happy that you, Prime Minister, took a faster and more convenient transportation method, so we can welcome you only a few days after you left your country. I am glad that you included the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in your travel schedule and I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you and your delegation. 

In these times of airplanes and rapid links between continents, the 44 days of seatravel remind us how far away a country like Germany actually is from a country like New Zealand. Still, I think it is fair to say that the geographical distance is the only significant distance between our two countries. In all other aspects, New Zealand and Germany and Hamburg in particular - have very good and close relations. 

First of all, the port of Hamburg is one of the main places where goods from New Zealand enter European ground. Our port is by far the biggest port in Germany and ranks second largest in Europe. For centuries, our city has been considered the gateway to the world, and we are doing everything we can to ensure this role in the future.

With more than 9 million containers, or TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units), handled in 2011, the port of Hamburg is the fourteenth largest container port in the world. Therefore, Hamburg is the right location for New Zealand to enter the markets of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe. I hope you will allow me to congratulate you for your government’s decision to establish the New Zealand Economic and Trade Office for this region in our city. We are also equally happy to have a very active Consul General for your country in our city.

Hamburg has nearly 1.8 million inhabitants, and the metropolitan region of Hamburg amounts to more than five million inhabitants. I cannot promise you that each and every one of these five million men and women will buy products from New Zealand, but the metropolitan region  certainly has great potential for New Zealand exports due to its high concentration of purchasing power. 

Of course, business also works in the other direction. Companies from Hamburg do business in New Zealand and are very interested in the Asian-pacific markets. 

While Europe suffers an economic crisis, Asia and many pacific countries represent a very dynamic economic region.

I am looking forward to your keynote, which will provide us with some insight into your assessment of the region, especially with regards to China.

The increased commerce between Europe and the Asian/Pacific region benefits both regions and brings many opportunities for people and companies in our countries.

One topic that is of special interest both in New Zealand and in Germany is renewable energy. 

Last year, Germany made a far-reaching decision to phase out nuclear energy by the year 2023. This poses a huge challenge for our country, but it also creates enormous opportunities, especially when it comes to renewable energies and new technologies. 

Hamburg has been the European capital for wind energy for some years now, and the new energy consensus in Germany strengthens this position.  In the future, northern Germany will be the main supplier of energy for the entire country, and the city of Hamburg is very well positioned with more than one hundred enterprises working in the field of renewable energy. Only last year, Siemens decided to move its international headquarters for wind energy to Hamburg, and just two days ago, the global company Samsung, from Korea, announced that it will establish its European headquarter of research and development in Hamburg with up to 150 employees. Both, Siemens and Samsung, joined many other large companies in their industry that are already doing business in our city. 

Furthermore, Siemens’ decision illustrates another current trend: The competition between cities all over the world. Hamburg was not the only city that wanted Siemens. In fact, Siemens had the option of placing its headquarters in many American and European cities.  As you can see, cities are competing, and companies  and individuals from all over the world must carefully consider where to settle down and where to start business.

This is good news for cities, and the future looks even better. By now, more than half of the world’s population is living in cities, and every day, 300,000 new people become city residents. Therefore, it is more than fair to say that cities are the future. We in Hamburg try to meet the demands that follow this global trend. While Germany’s population is shrinking, Hamburg’s is growing. We gained 200,000 inhabitants during the last 20 years, and we continue to grow. This is why I always quote the Canadian author Doug Saunders and his marvellous book on Arrival Cities. We are such an arrival city, and my government tries to meet the demands of its current citizens, as well as the needs of its future inhabitants. This is why we invest heavily in education and childcare and why we build 6,000 homes each year.

This is not always an easy task in times of economic crisis or times of fiscal austerity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In 2007, Hamburg and Auckland signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which formed a strategic alliance. Hamburg was the first European city Auckland decided to cooperate with closely, and this cooperation is working well in several fields - especially the field of city development.

Both our cities share a wonderful waterfront. Hamburg’s HarbourCity and Waterfront Auckland  are outstanding examples of modern architecture and city planning. There are many similarities between these projects, and both are symbols of a bright future for the city. They demonstrate the Triumph of the City”, which is the title of a book by another author who has considered the increasing importance of cities.

Dear John Key,

Ladies and Gentleman,

Cities are composed of houses, and it is therefore a good idea not only to discuss the big picture, but also to remember the smaller  aspects, such as historical buildings. So, I would like to end my welcoming note by pointing out a shining example of New Zealand’s link with Hamburg. 

Our city is proud of hosting Rauru,” one of very few maori houses outside New Zealand, which the Hamburg Museum of Ethnology has exhibited for exactly 100 years. Rauru” is not only a prime example of the New Zealand art of carving, but it also tells an impressive story that stretches back into the second half of the 19th century. Even though the Prime Minister might have seen quite a few of these maori houses, I would recommend a visit to the museum and this treasure for everybody else.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me raise my glass to you, Prime Minister, and your delegation. 

Now, let us enjoy our lunch and look forward to your keynote, Prime Minister, which we will hear after starters are served.

Thank you very much, and, once again, welcome to Hamburg.