Embassy of Belgium
in Canberra

Visit of Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Mr Didier Reynders, to New Zealand

-Press Release-


The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Didier Reynders will visit New Zealand from 4 to 7 January 2017.


Minister Reynders will meet his counterpart the Hon Murray McCully during a working lunch where they will discuss pressing issues of interest for both our countries and how to strengthen cooperation in these fields. The two Ministers will also visit the symbolic Waitangi Treaty Grounds together where a pōwhiri ceremony is scheduled.

In Wellington, Minister Reynders will take part to a blessing ceremony of the site for the Belgian memorial at the Pukeahu National Memorial Park where he will lay a wreath and unveil a plaque. The Minister will also present the memorial project proposed by Belgium to the New Zealand authorities. During this ceremony, he will be welcomed by Minister for Trade, the Hon. Todd McClay.

Both ministers will then take part in a bilateral working lunch to discuss the prospects of a future free trade agreement between the European Union and New Zealand and understand the benefits that can be reaped from reaching such an agreement.

He will dedicate some time to learn about the Neo-Zealander integration policies and processes in order to better understand the mechanisms put in place to help newly settled migrants become part of the New-Zealander society at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.

A range of cultural visits are also planned, such as the Museum of New Zealand TE PAPA, or the WETA Workshop, where was produced the movie on the famous Belgian character Tintin.

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