Lawrence Yule: Grateful for a family of nations

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule meeting the Queen at the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.

In March of this year while in London for the annual Commonwealth Local Government Forum board meeting, I was invited to attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey.

Later in the day I attended a reception with Her Majesty the Queen, in my role as chairman of the forum.

I, with about 100 others, mixed and mingled until a reception line was formed and Her Majesty and Prince Philip entered the banquet room at Marlborough House.

As a novice at this, I had no expectation of doing anything other than smiling as she walked past. Instead I was identified by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth as she passed by. Remarkably she stopped, I shook her hand and we shared around two minutes of very engaging conversation.

She was knowledgeable about New Zealand, interested in local government and importantly asked about democracy in developing countries. I could not help but be inspired by her dignity, knowledge, work ethic and presence.

Next month I will step down from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) role. This will end my six years as chairman of an organisation that supports local government organisations and councils in the 53 Commonwealth countries.

CLGF is a small organisation of 23 staff across the Commonwealth with headquarters based in London. Its fundamental role is to support developing nations in the Commonwealth in areas of technical support, governance training and economic development, as well as holding more lofty goals such as promoting democracy and gender balance.

This work is funded by the New Zealand, Australian, United Kingdom and Canadian governments, partnered with the likes of European Union and United Nations Development Programme, which Helen Clark heads.

It has been a fascinating experience and I have met all sorts of people from presidents and prime ministers down. The experience has opened my eyes to how lucky we are. Living in Hawke's Bay, it is easy to forget that 40 per cent of the world's population does not have potable drinking water, many towns have no street lights and people drive on dirt tracks, and people in many countries live in daily fear or terrorism.

For the three days I was in Nigeria two years ago, I was not allowed to leave the hotel. Two weeks later, 23 people were killed in a bomb blast one block from the hotel.

While CLGF is a small organisation, it does represent a fundamental value system that comes with belonging to the Commonwealth. The collection of 53 countries with the Queen as their head of state may seem outdated to some, but from my experience it is far from it. For modern first world countries it may appear less relevant but for developing countries it very much resonates, having a connection to something that has stood the test it time, is non-judgmental and is run with political neutrality.

For me, belonging to the Commonwealth is like belonging to a large family. It costs very little to belong and offers an umbrella of like-minded people and values. As we celebrate Queen's Birthday weekend, we should remember that we are part of this important group of countries, led by a remarkable woman. It is far more than just an extra day off work.

- Lawrence Yule is mayor of Hastings and has announced he will seek re-election in the local government elections later this year.

- Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz