As the clock ticks inexorably towards midnight tonight, on the last night of 2024, I am torn between the highs and the lows of a truly remarkable year. A year that for so many has truly been ‘Annus Horribilis”, a year for me of extreme lows – and also extreme highs.

And so tonight I choose to focus on the positive, to be grateful for each and every one of the special people in my life, the whanau who I am blessed with, and the friends I have chosen as whanau too.

Starting with the youngest, I am truly grateful for my four beautiful grandchildren, and particularly grateful that they have all been with us at the end of the year, not just for Christmas, but to celebrate Peter’s 70th birthday!

Edith – at 18 months old, your personality is shining through so strongly. You are following in a long line of strong women, who relentlessly pursue their dreams and their ambitions. I can’t wait to see you grow up into the feisty young woman I know you will become.

Alfred – at nearly 4 years old, you are the kindest, most caring big brother – and that care extends to everyone around you. Your memory for things and places is astonishing – and you have inherited your father’s talent for relating to everyone, old and young. You will go far.

Matthew – after a tumultuous start to the year, you have truly blossomed, and found your ‘people’. It has been such a joy to watch you grow up into a fine young man, with great life skills and a growing circle of good friends. I am so proud of you. It’s not right that, at nearly 13 years old, you’re already taller than me!

Isabel – you continue to spread joy wherever you go. You are an inspiration to us all – a lesson in how to focus on what you CAN do, rather than lamenting what you can’t! A fantastic year of achievement in both your academic pursuits, as well as rowing and choir – and a great circle of friends. Our three weeks in London with you this year was a genuine highlight of the year. I can’t believe you’re about to turn 16 – the age that I was when I first met Peter!

Our grandchildren, of course, are a tribute to their parents, and I am eternally grateful that both Pip and Rob have found wonderful life partners, in Howard and Jenna. Seeing your children grow up and have children of their own is one of the great joys of this stage of our lives – and I am so very proud of all that you have become. Thank you to all four of you for being so truly awesome.

The big event of 2024 was Peter’s 70th birthday – I am truly grateful for the almost 50 years of love, companionship and support that that Peter and I have shared since we first met back in 1975! We have travelled the world together, supported each other through highs and lows, and built a life for our whanau in our adopted homeland, New Zealand.

This year I am truly deeply grateful for all the wonderful people – family, friends, colleagues and others – who came out in force to show their love for Peter at an epic party to celebrate his birthday. We were moved by your presence – and by the messages that you left reminding us of the impact that Peter has had on so many lives.

No list of gratitudes would be complete for me without a huge thank you to my brother Don. Through the hard hard start to year as we gathered in Auckland to mourn our mother’s death, through the process of organising the funeral and winding up her estate, you have supported me and gone above and beyond to make everything easy. Your kind and generous spirit shines through. I am so lucky to have you as my brother.

And finally, I am grateful in 2024 for a small, but special, group of true friends. I have many many special people in my life, a huge network of go to people for all manner of things, but these are my special friends, who see me as I truly am, and are at my side at my darkest times.

Barbara – I know I can always rely on you to be there when I need you
(and to bring champagne and cheese to make everything feel okay).
Diane – you truly understand the challenges, and always provide perspective. You keep me grounded.
Ngaio – a voice of practical solutions, and a reminder that no matter how bad things are, we will prevail.
Suse – a relentless voice of positivity, a beacon of belief in the good of people.

So this is a tribute to the special people in my life who have genuinely made a difference for me in 2024 – I am so grateful. Thank you.

2025 is about to arrive – may you all be blessed with special people in your lives, and the love and support you deserve to be your best selves. Onwards!