Brazilian Parliamentary delegation pays visit

8 September 2009

A Joint Parliamentary Delegation from the National Congress of Brazil will visit Parliament this week.

The Parliamentary delegation has particular interests in the environment, alternative and renewable energy including biofuels, resource management and the agro-industrial sector.

Members of the delegation include:

• Senator Heraclito Fortes, immediate past Chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, who now holds the position within the Senate of First Secretary (Democrata Party);
• Deputy Eduardo Vieira da Cunha, Chair of the Brazil/New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Group and Leader of the PDT (Partida Democrata Trabalhista)
• Deputy Geraldo Resende, 1st Vice-Chair of the Brazil/New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Group (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party)
• Deputy Marcio Franca Gomes, (Leader of the (PSB) Socialist Party).

The delegation visited the agriculture research centre at Ruakura in Hamilton before travelling to Wellington to mark Brazil Independence Day at a reception hosted by Her Excellency Renate Stille, Ambassador of Brazil.

A Meridian Energy Westwind Turbine Facility project at Makara on Wellington’s west coast provided the group with an opportunity to view a renewable energy project. The Karori Wildlife Sanctuary was the setting for a discussion on conservation cooperation between New Zealand and Brazil.

The Chair of the New Zealand-Latin-American Parliamentary Friendship Group, the Hon Trevor Mallard, hosted the group at a luncheon before they were introduced to the House of Representatives and met with members of Parliament and Ministers to discuss energy, climate change, agriculture and forestry.

The visit to Parliament included a call on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Dr Lockwood Smith.

Other discussions planned include bilateral relationships involving NZ Trade and Enterprise, Ministry of Education, Education NZ, Immigration NZ and the Ministry of Forestry.

Business meetings include the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, the Latin American New Zealand Business Council and Fonterra investments in Latin America.

The visit is part of a New Zealand inter-Parliamentary programme raising awareness and building cooperation among different parliaments around the world.