7 December 2001 Media Statement

PM announces rescheduled visit by the Queen

Prime Minister Helen Clark announced today that the Queen will visit New Zealand from from 22 to 27 February next year. The Queen will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Helen Clark said she welcomed the fact the rescheduled visit to New Zealand will take place in the fiftieth Jubilee year of the Queen’s reign.

The visit will follow a state visit to Jamaica and precede the official visit to Australia, where the Queen will also visit South Australia and Queensland, and attend the rescheduled Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Coolum, Queensland.

The rescheduled visits to New Zealand and Australia have had to be shortened because of the Queen’s already busy Golden Jubilee year programme in the United Kingdom.

The New Zealand itinerary will include Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. In Christchurch the Queen will visit the Ngai Tahu Rehua marae, and at Burnham Military Camp she will meet soldiers involved in East Timor peacekeeping duties.

In Wellington the Queen will attend a state dinner at Parliament. Engagements in Auckland include visits to Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup headquarters and the Liggins Institute at Auckland University, and a garden reception.

ENDS

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