New Zealand Defence Force
Te Ope Kaatua O Aotearoa

Media Release

14 March 2007

Duke of York to Visit New Zealand Defence Force Bases

His Royal Highness The Duke of York will visit two New Zealand Defence Force bases and take part in a number of special ceremonies during his visit to New Zealand this week.

On Friday 16 March the Duke will visit members of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistics Regiment (RNZALR) at Trentham Military Camp.

The Duke is Colonel-in-Chief of the RNZALR and the regiment is known as the Duke of York’s Own. He will be greeted at the camp by a Royal Guard of Honour and receive a Maori welcome from the Army’s Maori Cultural Group.

On Saturday 17 March the Duke will attend a significant ceremony in Rotorua to honour the gallantry of the late Lance Sergeant (LSGT) Haane Manahi during WWII. The Duke of York will present an award to representatives of Te Arawa and the Manahi family comprising of an altar cloth, a letter from The Queen, and a sword.

Te Arawa will in turn present the sword to the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae along with a patu in memory of LSGT Haane Manahi. The sword will be displayed in the CDF’s office.

The patu will be worn, on appropriate occasions as part of the dress of the CDF. These gifts will be a tangible link between Haane Manahi, The Queen, Te Arawa and all serving members of the Defence Force.

On Sunday 18 March the Duke will attend the re-dedication ceremony of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph. A catafalque guard comprising personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force will be paraded in support of the ceremony.

The following day the Duke will visit Devonport Naval Base where he will receive a Royal Guard of Honour and have the opportunity to visit the Navy’s Bridge Simulator. He will then attend a lunch hosted by the Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral David Ledson.

ENDS

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