Media Release
For release: Monday 7 January 2018

Speaker to grow connections in Malta and Germany

• Speaker Rt Hon Trevor Mallard will represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers in Malta

• He will then undertake a bilateral visit to Germany to deliver a speech and participate in a business roundtable

• The Speaker will also discuss the New Zealand Parliament’s family-friendly initiatives

Rt Hon Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, will represent New Zealand this week at the Standing Committee Meeting of the Commonwealth Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers (CSPOC) in Valletta, Malta.

“The role of Speaker is vital to Parliament’s independence from Government and a challenging job for even the most experienced parliamentarian. The opportunity to share experiences and innovations in parliamentary procedure with others in in the role is therefore a vital tool for maintaining impartiality and fairness in the House.

“I am also looking forward to sharing our recent initiatives to modernise Parliament, make the institution more family-friendly, and engage with the public.”

The Speaker will then travel to Berlin and Munich, Germany, for a brief bilateral visit focused on advocating for deeper economic, trade, and people connections. He will meet with the President of the Berlin Parliament, Speaker of the German Parliament, and Vice President of the Bavarian State Parliament.

The Speaker will also be making a speech on sustainability research in New Zealand at the Ludwig Maximilian University and participating in a business roundtable with leading German companies who invest in New Zealand. Germany is particularly interested in the New Zealand Parliament’s recent family-friendly initiatives, so the Speaker looks forward to discussing this with his German counterparts.

The programme runs from 8 to 17 January 2019.

ENDS

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