Media Release
25 May 2006

Governor-General Official State Visits to Ireland and Greece

The Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright will this weekend travel to Ireland on an official state visit.

Dame Silvia's programme will include a State welcome, an official meeting with President McAleese and a State dinner.

From Ireland, Dame Silvia will travel to Greece for an official state visit. Again, she will receive a full State welcome, and she will hold talks with President Papoulias, as well as Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis.. She will also visit Crete where she will lay a wreath at the Commonwealth Graves Cemetery at Souda.

Following her visit to Greece, Dame Silvia will travel to London where she will attend a lunch with Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

While in London, she will attend a National Service of Thanksgiving to mark The Queen's 80 birthday, and she will also give an address at the NZ-UK Link Foundation.

During the absence of the Governor-General from 28 May to 21 June 2006, the Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias will act as Administrator of Government.

ENDS