Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier: I feel I owe a lot to the environment I grew up in. Photo / Paul Taylor
Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier: I feel I owe a lot to the environment I grew up in. Photo / Paul Taylor
Opinion
Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier addressed the Gisborne Boys’ High students during Thursday’s prizegiving, sharing his journey from school to his current role. He emphasised the importance of seizing opportunities and developing public speaking and debating skills. He highlighted Gisborne’s supportive environment and cultural influences in fostering young talent and fairness. The following is an excerpt from that speech.
Fifty-five years ago, I graduated from Gisborne Boys’ High School.
It is a real honour to be here to help celebrate your achievements.
I always looked forward to prizegiving — it was one of the biggest events on the school calendar, then and now.
But prizegiving in my final year at Boys’ High was quite an emotional time. It was a chance to reflect on my time at school.
I could not have known that decades later, Parliament would appoint me as New Zealand’s Chief Ombudsman, helping people who feel they’ve been treated unfairly by the Government.
All I could honestly say, as I sat in this hall more than half a century ago, is that I had tried to make the most of the school’s opportunities.
I feel quite strongly now that the foundation of my future career was built right here … simply by making the most of things.
Let me tell you why making the most of things is so important …
I came from a fairly modest background.
I was born in a small hospital on Riverside Rd and grew up in Whataupoko.
At age 5, I attended Gisborne Central Primary School before moving on to Ilminster Intermediate in 1963.
I started at Gisborne Boys High in 1965, and I was one of hundreds of former students inspired by the late Norman Maclean, who taught here for decades. He had the unique ability to make everyone he taught feel special.
Norman pushed me to develop public speaking and debating skills and. most importantly, he had faith in me.
Those skills set the foundation for my career.
My message is that no matter what you choose to do, there are so many times in life when you may be called upon to speak and speak well.
I think Gisborne Boys High offers every student opportunity. My mother always encouraged me to say yes to getting involved so I rarely turned opportunities down.
In my last year at school, I was fortunate enough to become a prefect and chairman of the school council.
When I left Gisborne Boys High at the end of 1969, I was ready to face the world as a 17-year-old and head to university.
Gisborne Boys' High School. Photo /GBHS Facebook page
While training to improve my speech-making and debating at school and through my membership of several committees, such as the American Field Scholarship Exchange Programme Committee, I started interacting with a number of lawyers in Gisborne.
I’d come to admire their work and felt that with the speaking skills I was developing, the legal profession was right for me. Not to mention … I was hopeless at maths.
One of the things I most value in life is fairness and achieving fairness for people no matter where they come from. I think my choice of career has allowed me to achieve this aim.
I finished my law degree and was admitted to the Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1975. Thirteen years later, at age 36, I was appointed as New Zealand’s youngest judge, and later, I became a Law Commissioner.
My enduring quest for fairness meant the role of Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand was a natural fit. The Ombudsman’s motto is “fairness for all. ”tuia kia ōrite”.
I was asked to be considered for this role and was sworn in by the Speaker of Parliament in December 2015.
It’s a big job, but fundamental to it is investigating complaints made by citizens about whether they have been treated fairly. This relates to decision-making in all sorts of ways, such as by government agencies, local authorities, school boards of trustees, people seeking immigration visas, people not happy with the health system, you name it.
I feel I owe a lot to the environment I grew up in.
Gisborne fosters young talent. There are several reasons for this.
One reason is that we often have to make our own way in Gisborne and do things ourselves.
The powerful influences of Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga ā Māhaki, and Te Wairoa iwi and hapū are also important.
Culturally and artistically,, we are very strong. Perhaps opportunities don’t come your way in bigger places or in smaller places for quite different reasons, but they do here.
You really can shape your future. Take the time to think about all your options and choices. This will give you the knowledge to decide which direction to take.
