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[00:00:30] [00:01:00] [00:01:30] Uh uh [00:02:00] uh. [00:02:30] Good answer. [00:03:00] No. My distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen, it's a very great pleasure for me to welcome you all to the National Library of New Zealand tonight. My name is Bill McNatt. I'm the national librarian, and we're delighted to host the top twins and exhibition for New Zealand. A celebration [00:03:30] of Joe's and Linda Top's unique contribution to New Zealand's social, cultural and political landscape. The exhibition was developed by colleagues at Museum in Palmerston North, and we're proud to partner with them in bringing it to Wellington, the first stop on a national tour. It's my pleasure to acknowledge some of the many distinguished guests here tonight. First of all, our Prime Minister, right. Honourable Jacinda Ardern. [00:04:00] Welcome. Uh, the Honourable Grant Robertson. Uh, the honourable Clare Curran, I believe, is here. Uh, the Honourable Ian Lees. Galloway is here and special. Welcome back to former Prime Minister, the right honourable Helen Clark. I would also like to acknowledge those who have travelled from the man to be here tonight, including [00:04:30] Mayor of Palmerston North, Grant Smith. Welcome back. An exhibition celebrating the lives and work of two iconic Kiwi musicians and entertainers who have always pushed the boundaries seems very fitting this year. Not only are the top twins celebrating their 60th birthday, but 2018 also marks 100 and 25 years since thousands of New Zealand women pushed the boundaries [00:05:00] so that New Zealand became the first country in the world where women won the right to vote. And the 18 93 suffrage petition that they signed is right here at the National Library as part of the exhibition, which is open this evening for anyone who has not yet had the opportunity to go and visit. So the Top Twins exhibition is in good company. We're also pleased to add our own top twins collection [00:05:30] from the Alexander Turnbull Library to the exhibition that's travelled here from to Man. The library holds such archival gems as newspaper clippings, posters and photos donated by Diva Productions back in 2013, and you'll get to see some of this in the exhibition this evening. I'd also like to thank my Public Programmes Team for arranging this exhibition at the National Library and also for looking after us all this evening and speaking of looking after [00:06:00] us all, I do have a brief health and safety message to share in the event of an earthquake. Drop, cover and hold. Do not leave the building. Wait for national library staff to give further instructions. If there is an evacuation exit out of the main entrance, turn left, go down the stairs, cross the road and meet on the other side of a street for smaller emergencies. The toilets are located through [00:06:30] the door just there. And finally, if you are a Twitter, our exhibition hashtag is hashtag camp Mother, Thank you for being here this evening, and it's my pleasure now to introduce to Mana's chief executive, Andy Lowe, who will tell you more about the exhibition. Please welcome Andy. Yeah, [00:07:00] [00:07:30] [00:08:00] it's wonderful to be here tonight, representing to Manu Museum of Art, Science and History in the North. This is a really special occasion for us, the launch of the national tour of our exhibition, top twins and exhibition for New Zealand, and how better to launch it than in the presence of our prime minister and Helen Clark, who also happened to be a big top Twins fans. I'd like to acknowledge all our visitors from Palmerston North [00:08:30] tonight, including the mayor. Grant Smith, MP Ian Lees Galloway, Palmerston North City Councillors. Rachel Bowen, Manu Trust Board members and staff. Janet, Thank you. It's great that you've made the journey tonight. The much longer journey has been the creation of this top Twins exhibition story, which began back in 2010. Um, when I was working at the Waikato Museum, the nearby Huntley Coalfields [00:09:00] Museum was developing an exhibition about the top twins because that's the hometown or kind of close and asked us if we could help. Um, so long story short, there's still a nice, big, um, pink painting of the twins on the wall, Um, in Huntley that can be seen as you drive in. At that time, we talked about how good it would be to do an exhibition that toured the country and perhaps the world to celebrate these national treasures. The top twins. And so we talked about it again for the next few years, [00:09:30] and I started at in 2012, and with some driven people on the project Christelle Plimer, Leslie Fowler, Sean Torrington and many others. It finally happened the 1981 Springbok tour, anti nuclear protests homosexual law reform, Maori land rights in point. Jules and Linda stepped up to the mark often in front of these protests, then sang in concerts in the following days, raising funds to get those people who'd been arrested out of jail. Many of [00:10:00] us remember you on those marches you sang Good night, Irene for your mum. From the stage of the Michigan Women's Festival. My partner was there and she cried during protest marches to meeting Prince Charles and Lady Camila on TV and radio cassettes C, DS and YouTube. And now here. Well, it was in Palmerston North and now here in Wellington. Jules and Linda Camp Mother, Camp Leader, Ken and Ken, our much [00:10:30] loved rural girls, our untouchable girls who do a bit of music and a bit of horses. You rack us up, you touch our hearts and continue to help shape this nation. You've encouraged us to stand up, to have guts to stand together. You shared your story and through song with a joke or two and an excellent yodel. It's wonderful to see you again tonight. You need to be celebrated over and over. This project has had huge support throughout, not least at all. From George and Linda, the production agency Diva Productions, [00:11:00] Palmerston North City Council. Jude Benson, Now our team on the job, Olivia Co. And who got it here? It is going to to to a number of venues around New Zealand, creating and touring exhibitions around New Zealand is something to man has done for many years and does quite well. It'll be a really big part of our exciting future as we embark on a project we're calling TM 2025. Recently, the Palmerston North City Council gave us the green light to progress high level planning for this creation of the arts and cultural powerhouse [00:11:30] for, uh, Palmerston North for consideration as part of the long term plan to needs more up to date spaces in which to host its diverse communities and deliver world class experiences. So that's what we're working on right now. Finally, I'd like to thank Bill McNorton, his national library team, for hosting this exhibition, sharing this launch and recognising the potential of this show. We hope to see you all tonight and please tell your friends and family to come and see this exhibition. [00:12:00] Thanks very much, Andy. It has been a real pleasure working with your team from Mana. Ladies and gentlemen, please. Now, welcome our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. If anyone's wondering why [00:12:30] there's a seat on the stage that was thoughtfully provided for for me, But I continue to defy the odds by standing through my pregnancy. But I thank you very much. Um, for for the care and the invitation to be here is truly an honour, Bill. And I thank you and your team at the national Library for the role you have played in continuing to extend the tour of this wonderful, um, exhibition and Andy for the work that you and all of the, um uh, [00:13:00] team did, uh, to get it to the position it's in now. Um, absolutely fantastic. And thank you. Um, I see you have your local MP here, um, continuing to claim, uh, obviously alongside you and rightly so, um, some of the honours tonight and he is fiercely proud of his region, and we'll be fiercely proud of you. I know, too. Um, can I acknowledge the right honourable Helen Clark. Uh, and I have to say, Helen, when when I leave this role of 10 years later, [00:13:30] I still elicit a whoop from a crowd. I will feel very, very pleased You set the bar very, very high. And it's only fitting that you're here. Of course. Um, you're, um, present in the exhibition and obviously a part of this wonderful, um, story and the pride we feel in the top twins. I acknowledged, um, Grant Robertson. He's, uh, obviously the associate minister of arts. Uh, he's he was Oh, there we go. He's never quiet when he, uh, associate Minister of Arts, Obviously our Minister of finance and our local [00:14:00] MP. Um uh, So I like any excuse to be here. Basically. So, um, a pleasure to have him here, Um, as well. And finally, may grant, um, thank you for your ongoing support of, um What? We have touring now, too. But of course, most importantly, I want to acknowledge the top twins. Um, and I was so delighted to see this invitation come in and did not hesitate for a moment to say that I wanted to be here. Um, actually, I was thinking of the all of the reasons that these three main ones that I just wanted to reflect on quickly [00:14:30] because I'm now standing between you and this stage. Um, the first reason was because I grew up with you. Um uh, I can't, you know, Remember a time when I wasn't aware of who you were and what you represented, Uh, and how proud I felt whenever I saw someone reflecting back to me, The people I was growing up around, I grew up in Morrisville. Ken and Ken feel very familiar to me as characters. Um, but so do, um, Camp leader and camp mother. Possibly [00:15:00] because I saw myself and some of those I don't have a sequent onesie, um, to speak of, But there was something about those characters that just were truly kiwi and that no one else captured the way that you captured. And and, um, I think probably everyone feels that, um, in some way, the second reason was because that you were more than just, um, comedians. And you were more than, um, performers and artists. You were You were activists. And, of [00:15:30] course, growing up, I was always looking for those role models. Um, particularly role models like that who came from backgrounds like mine, where traditionally people didn't speak up. Always. Particularly not on issues like bastion point, uh, or on issues like nuclear, uh, anti the anti nuclear movement, or like, homosexual law reform. But that is what you did. And, uh, you did it with, um, humour and Grace. Uh, and you made your voice heard. And I have such an appreciation [00:16:00] for that. Obviously, it was in your blood, because I understand that you have, uh, aunts who are on the woman's suffrage petition. Um, Myrtle and Charlotte. I understand, uh, here already, um, listed on that petition. So that speaks obviously to your lineage, Um, as well. But my third reason for wanting to be here is because I have some of your stuff. Um, and by that, I don't mean albums. I mean, I have your caravan, I should add. I bought it through totally legitimate means. Um, but, um, [00:16:30] the the little baby star liner, Um uh, from I think it was dated in the 19 fifties, uh, which originally I think you purchased and had living in Grey. Lynn. Uh, when I first became an MP, I decided I wanted a caravan to do my electorate work. Um, following in the in the steps of, um, MP greats like Helen, who had an old oxford, I think mine. I wanted something a bit smaller so that I could park it. Um, and I found this one online on, um, trade me That was only 8 ft, absolutely [00:17:00] miniature, and I absolutely fell in love with it. It didn't appear to be worthy in any sense of the word. In fact, in the description, it acknowledged that it had chickens living in it. Um, the pitchers told a very telling story, and I remember my father saying, You are mad that Chassie will be full of rust. Um, but without even seeing it, um, I decided I was going to bid on it. It had a little note, though, that said it used to be a TV prop caravan. And I thought, that's curious. So I called. And, uh, little [00:17:30] did I know I was calling the home of one of the tops and then had it explained to me that it was the old caravan used for some of the Camp leader camp mother skits. And, of course, that then sealed the deal for me. There was no way I was walking away from this trade me auction. Um, it was hard fought. There was someone else bidding against me. And I still to this day, remember sitting in my office in parliament, uh, on my well Sorry. I was on the computer watching this roll through, and I was losing Suddenly, my phone flashed up [00:18:00] my desk phone. Phil Goff, leader of the Labour Party at that time, was calling me Phil never calls me. I pick up the phone, and I said, Can't talk. Bidding. Um and I took it. I took it out. Um, I to this day feel so proud to have that tiny little slice, um, of Kiwi history. Um, and even just the story of coming to pick it up. Uh, and, uh, as I arrived, uh, being greeted by, [00:18:30] uh, All right, come on in here and take a look to, um I remember trying to defend myself as being from morrinsville. I was wearing heels on a farm, which is never a good look. Um, but I feel so proud to have that little bit of Kiwi history, even if it it it it absorbed, um, the, um money I'd put aside for a deposit on a home, Um, fixing it up. But I think I can speak for any everyone, regardless of whether it's something physical or it's something spiritual. There's a little [00:19:00] piece of you and all of us if we can claim you in that way. And I wanna thank you for the years that you've given us and the years that we still expect from you to come. So without further ado, can I welcome to the stage Linda and Jules talk. Why, Yeah, [00:19:30] 80. It's no. Then Oh. Oh, the the the That you [00:20:00] Hi. Hi. Bye. Yeah, Be strong. [00:20:30] Yeah, This is pretty cool. Hey, um, I was just saying to you know, when people get an exhibition in the museum, they usually dead, and it's really exciting to be here live. Um, in this exhibition, I'd like to acknowledge, uh, Jacinda to us, she's just Jacinda. She'll always be just as the the girl who bought our caravan. We had [00:21:00] a $1 reserve on it, and she paid 1200 bucks for it. Paid 14. 14. He paid 14. OK, she's She's young and silly. And we'd also like to, uh, acknowledge Helen for being here Who's always been there for us, right From the word go. When we were little fellas, she was our prime minister. And it's really beautiful to have Helen and Jacinda here as our prime ministers. As from now on, woman should [00:21:30] only ever be prime ministers in New Zealand. I've toured a little idea with, uh, becoming, uh, you know, getting involved in politics. Uh, Jules and I have actually kept out of politics for the last year or so. We just didn't want to steal your thunder at all, But, um but I think, uh, we had a classic moment with our mom and dad, Uh, our dad's 90 mum's 87. And, uh, we were sitting down having tea with them a couple of nights ago, [00:22:00] and they were invited to come. They're up in still, and they were invited down here and they said, Oh, it's too far to go. It's too far to go and stuff. And then Mum, just out of the blue, she said, And then I said, You know, there'll be lots of famous people there, you know? I think the prime minister is coming, and Mum goes that Jacinda. Isn't she a lovely girl? She's doing a lovely job, too. Lovely. Now, this is two old national farmers who have always always voted national, and [00:22:30] we came from them. We came from our mom and dad farm good farming stock national. But they allowed us to be the top twins. They allowed us to be who we are. So a big thank you to all the people around us. Um, our mom and dad were always there for us as kids. Um, our prime ministers, our women prime ministers have always not all all of them. There was one that just sort of, you know, faked it for a little while. And, [00:23:00] um and I'd also like to acknowledge all, uh, the people who have worked with us over the years Uh, a is here with us. She's our manager and has been for over 25 years now, So we've got a really, you know, pretty good, uh, partnership. Now, um, she's done an amazing job by looking after us, but also allowing us to make the decisions as well as her. So, um, you know, because nobody's ever told us what to do, [00:23:30] Nobody's ever gonna tell us what to do. We will always be who we are. We'd like to thank um all the team that worked that worked on our TV programmes. Felicity is here our our current director of our TV programmes. He's done a fantastic job. Um we're surrounded by amazing women and that is, you know, really important. And there's a few sort of good blokes too who happen to put this exhibition together, so we'd like to thank all of them. I would also like to thank all the amazing New Zealanders [00:24:00] who have all followed us and been with us on our journey. They have done an amazing job, um, being there for us. You know, if if it wasn't for our audiences and our fans and what have you they then we wouldn't be who we are. You know, if you want to put a show on, you got to have an audience and and the Kiwis have come on board and we we feel so proud that we can perform in New Zealand and we perform to moms and dads and teenage kids and babies and grandparents [00:24:30] and national people and labour and labour and the greens and New Zealand. First, they all come to our show. So we have crossed the board. You know, we have crossed all the boundaries, and I think, you know, um, it's part of it is us. But the other part of it is that we live in New Zealand, the most incredible place in the world. You know, it is really amazing. Um uh, my sister here, she's, you know, a big part of what's happened [00:25:00] for me as well. Um, without her, I'd be nothing, as I said before, and and she's always said that as well. We've had our ups and downs in our lives. Um, but we've always always loved each other and always always stayed together as sisters and and always sisters, as in, uh, relatives, sisters and sisters and fighting for what we believe in. And, um, I think that, you know, uh, there [00:25:30] was a time when, when Jules, uh, had a little healthcare. Uh, you know, the the big cancer came along, and, um, you know, a lot of people have been affected by cancer in New Zealand. We're not sure. Quite quite sure why it is, I think probably getting rid of 10 and 80 out of this country for a start would be good. Just a little reminder there, Jacinda, Uh uh would be a good start. Let's get rid of all the poison out of this country and make it the best, the most incredible place in the world. People will want to come here, you know, [00:26:00] they they want to come here already. But let's make it the best best place in the world. And Jules did have a little skier, the cancer. I'm not sure if it was a 10 80 when we were growing up because they were chopping it all over the countryside. They still are, um and we need to get rid of that. But Jules, uh managed to get through that, and I was her caregiver for eight months, and she did say to me that it was quite good. Now that she's she's in good health. But she's glad that she's got a twin sister in case she does get sick. She said she's keeping me [00:26:30] for parts. Um, I'm I'm gonna, uh, finish up and just thank everybody for being here tonight because this is the start of the tour of the top exhibition. And it is, um, you know, it just feels like an honour that that people have made an effort to, you know, you know, put a little show on for us, you know, about us and, um, and that other people can come and see it. And so, um, I'd like to thank you all for being here. You know, you are [00:27:00] part of this. You are part of New Zealand. You're part of our journey. It's not just our journey. It's everybody's journey. And I think, you know, we we have shown the rest of the world that we are an incredible, tolerant, wise, amazing people who live in this country. I'm gonna hand over to, and then I think we probably might sing a song. What do you reckon? [00:27:30] Uh, not really. Much else to say. Really? Linda, really. You know, she's always been a talker, and, um, you know, everything that we do now is for love, and it's important we remember that because we're all here because we love something we do. And it's not about whether we're famous or how much money we have or how many cars we have parked in the garage or a jet ski or any any of the things that we think [00:28:00] that might make us feel happy. We're only happy when we're connected to our friends. We're connected to the people that we care about, and we're connected to the people that are going in the right direction and the people who aren't going in the right direction. We will honour them and listen to their story, too, because that is the only way we will ever find a way of going forward. Because what happens is our life has been about being tolerant. Our part of our life is about being tolerant to people and [00:28:30] understanding that when we listen to them, sometimes they come with us, they join our role, they join our road and they come and become part of something that's bigger and brighter and beautiful. And, you know, we need more of that in this country. We need positive news and good news and good people to follow. And I know that you know, we've had many a good time, a great time in our lives [00:29:00] performing and those times are not over. We've got plenty of parties to go to. I know Jacinda is a good girl. Because when she came, she opened the door of my caravan and it fell off. She was still committed to buying it. So, um, this is all good. This is great. We might as well finish off with a song about something we wrote a long time ago. It's about us. It can be about you if you want it to be. It's about being untouchable, and we all are. And honestly, [00:29:30] it is about love [00:30:00] down there. Put something decent on the TV for us. [00:30:30] Thank. I don't know whether anyone is officially opening the door of [00:31:00] the exhibition, but we've got an exhibition to go to. What do you reckon? Spend your money?
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