A Merry Christmas to All

Happy Holidays from Ambasssador Bill McCormick.

An embassy is a busy place, so much so that sometimes it’s easy to lose track of the changing seasons and upcoming events.  However, when the Embassy toy drive kicks off (proceeds to local children) and the Marines start to hang up their stockings, it’s a fair bet that Christmas is here.

Christmas in New Zealand is a unique experience for an American.  There is a little that’s different:  Christmas picnics and Boxing Day barbeques are distinctly Kiwi concepts.  And yet there is so much more that’s the same:  The spirit of good will and generosity, the warm hearts, and the friendly faces.

In fact it’s very much like the natural friendship that exists between New Zealand and the United States.  There are a few differences, but there is so much more we have in common.

Throughout the year, it has been my privilege and pleasure to represent that friendship on behalf of the United States, and to support and participate in so many events where our friendship is evident.

For example, the Embassy is proud to support the “Friend in Need” exhibit at Old St. Paul’s here in Wellington, which commemorates the U.S. Marines who, during WWII, called New Zealand home for a brief time before being sent to fight in the Pacific Theatre.  At the opening of the exhibit earlier this year Prime Minister Clark, Governor General Satyanand, and I – and indeed all who were present – reflected on the deep and abiding friendship between our nations:  A friendship that saw us through one of the darker periods in world history, and still serves us well today.

It has been my delight to visit people and places, from Northland to Southland; my honor to receive the good will of the New Zealanders I’ve met; and my hope that I’ve done a fair job communicating American good will in return.

Only last week I attended the 60th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program operating in New Zealand, marking 60 years of student, academic, and other exchanges between our two countries.

So it is very much in the spirit of this close friendship that I wish each and every one of you the Merriest of Christmases, the Happiest of New Years, and all the best for the holiday season.

Bill McCormick,
Ambassador of the United States of America

Embassy Contributes Towards Merry Christmases

Every year the U.S. Embassy in Wellington conducts a Christmas toy drive:  Staff and friends of the Embassy donate toys which, in cooperation with the Wellington City Mission, are given as Christmas presents to children who otherwise might not have such a happy holiday.

During this year's toy drive, from 15 November to 21 December, over 125 toys and presents were collected. In addition, the Embassy collected over $400 worth of food stuff for the Downtown Community Mission and over 50 bags of clothing for Mary Potter Hospice.