New Zealand Parliament hosts study programme for Pacific Clerks

27 May 2011

Clerks and senior parliamentary staff from Pacific Island Parliaments are participating in a parliamentary study programme organised by the New Zealand Parliament from 30 May to 10 June, Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith announced today.

The purpose of the two-week study programme is to support the building of capacity of the Pacific Parliaments. It also serves to strengthen New Zealand’s relationship with Parliaments across the Pacific Region. This is the second New Zealand Parliamentary Study Programme the New Zealand Parliament has hosted; similar programmes are run annually in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

“The special nature of the New Zealand Parliament’s relationship with the Pacific and our significant people to people links make the New Zealand Parliamentary Study Programme in valuable in the training and development for parliamentary staff from our neighboring parliaments” Dr Smith said.

Participants from parliaments in Bougainville, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu will attend the study programme.