Christchurch will host a farewell parade on Tuesday April 23 for New Zealand troops going to support the United Nations effort in East Timor.

Members of the New Zealand Battalion 6 (NZBATT6) Group, the last battalion group to be deployed to East Timor under the Government’s current commitment to the United Nations, will parade from the western end of Cashel Street from 11.20am. Led by the New Zealand Army Band, it will make its way over the Bridge of Remembrance to City Mall, turn left into Colombo Street and then on to Cathedral Square.

Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore will then farewell the troops on behalf of the city. The Commanding Officer of NZBATT6, Lieutenant Colonel Dean Baigent, will also speak.

The troops will perform a haka in the Square and then continue down Colombo Street, while the NZ Army Band performs. The parade will finish in Victoria Square at 1.00pm.

More than 220 members of the battalion group will be deployed from Burnham Military Camp. An advance party of troops will leave for East Timor at the end of April, with the rest of the group deployed throughout May. It replaces NZ Battalion 5 Group, which was deployed to East Timor in November 2001.

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