Nelson preparing to host Royal visitors

2 November 2015

On Saturday 7th November, Nelson will have the honour of welcoming their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to our beautiful city. This visit will give the Royal visitors the opportunity to sample just a few of the many highlights that are abundant in our region, while meeting some of the people that make our corner of the world so special.

A programme has been developed to showcase the strengths and talents of the Nelson region, with a focus on locally grown and produced food and beverages, from the source all the way to being served. This will give their Royal Highnesses the opportunity to explore their interests in sustainability and the arts that our region is famous for.

The visit will begin with the official City welcome at Piki Mai (the Cawthron Steps on Church Hill) by iwi and the Mayor Rachel Reese. Their Royal Highnesses will then walk down Trafalgar Street and into Hardy Street, which will give the public their opportunity to greet their Royal Highnesses as they make their way to the world famous Nelson Markets. Along the way The Prince and Duchess may stop and chat to many locals, including students of Nayland Primary, the winners of the 2015 Masked Parade.

Nelson Market founder Nita Knight will then provide a brief snapshot of the arts, crafts and local produce that are plentiful in the markets, before cadets of the Air Force, Navy and Army will salute their Royal Highnesses before they embark on the next stage of the programme.

The Prince will then have the opportunity to delve into the world of science, with a visit to the Cawthron Institute. The Cawthron Institute is New Zealand largest independent science organisation, offering a broad spectrum of services to help protect the environment and support sustainable development of primary industries. Cawthron will be joined by Plant and Food Research, who will demonstrate Precision Seafood Harvesting, a new technology that has helped to improve the sustainability, quality and value of each fish harvested.

While The Prince of Wales is exploring the science of sustainability, The Duchess of Cornwall will enter the wonderful world of wearable arts at the World of WearableArt & Classic Cars Museum. Some amazing pieces will be on display to help show off the phenomenon that has its creative heart here in Nelson.

Their Royal Highnesses are then scheduled to make their way to the organic winery at Mahana, where they will be served some of the Nelson Region's finest food and beverages, in a “Source to Serve” event. This event will celebrate how our region can not only grow the freshest products, but also has the sustainable production and processing to ensure they are ready for the finest of dining experiences.

Nelson’s Mayor Rachel Reese believes the city is ready to be showcased to the world’s media during the visit.

“As official hosts for the visit, we are looking forward to what will be a fantastic occasion.” says Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese.

“All the partner organisations we have been working with have been truly accommodating to help make sure this event runs smoothly. I would like to acknowledge the enthusiasm shown by everyone involved in planning for this very special visit. We should all be immensely proud of what our region has to offer.”

ENDS

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