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New Zealand Parliament
The European Parliament delegation with Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Hon Amy Adams MP. Photo: Office of the Clerk.
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Date: 2 May 2012

Overseas delegations visit Parliament

The New Zealand Parliament is privileged to host parliamentary delegations from around the world. These visits provide a variety of benefits and opportunities for both the host and the visiting delegation. This week a group from the European Parliament is visiting, and an Indian parliamentary delegation visited earlier in the month.

European parliamentary delegation

New Zealand is hosting a delegation from the European Parliament from 30 April to 4 May, led by Mr Richard Ashworth from the United Kingdom.

He and five other members of the European Parliament are visiting Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. In Auckland they will meet with the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, UniServices and Māori business leaders, and in Wellington they will meet with MPs and observe question time and select committee proceedings.

Meetings will focus on the relationship between New Zealand and the European Union, and will cover areas such as trade, agriculture, climate change, and renewable energy. In Christchurch the delegation’s activities include meeting with officials from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, and visiting the National Centre for Research on Europe at the University of Canterbury.

Indian parliamentary delegation

The Speaker of India’s Lok Sabha (Lower House) led a delegation to New Zealand from 13 to 17 April. Mrs Meira Kumar was accompanied by five Indian MPs, officials, and members of the Indian High Commission.

The delegation met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, the Acting Prime Minister, Bill English, and the Mayor of Wellington, Celia Wade-Brown. New Zealand’s relationship with India is based on shared Commonwealth, trade, and sporting links.

The visit highlighted those connections and provided the delegation members with a broader understanding of New Zealand’s cultural and political context.