The New Zealand Army will fire a 19-gun salute in Wellington at approx. 10.35am on Thursday 21 July, welcoming The Hon Dalton Tagelagi, Premier of Niue.

The gun salute will be fired by personnel from 16th Field Regiment, Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery, based at Linton Military Camp.

The gun salute will be conducted from the Saluting Battery at Point Jerningham - the only permanent saluting battery in New Zealand - using four 25-pounder guns.

The site is at Roseneath Memorial Park, below Roseneath School on Mt Victoria, Wellington.

What: 19-gun salute

Where: Point Jerningham, Mt Victoria, Wellington

When: Thursday 21 July 2022

Time: 10.35am

Background information:

The practice of firing gun salutes grew from naval tradition. An approaching warship would fire its cannons to show that its guns were empty, demonstrating they were unloaded and they had no hostile intent. Today all salutes are fired with blank cartridges - be it artillery, ships’ guns, or small arms.

There is little difference between gun salutes. A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognised of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honour. One slight difference is that while Royals and heads of state always receive 21-gun salutes, heads of government receive 19-gun salutes.

The unit that fires the gun salutes with which the New Zealand Army has been tasked with is 16th Field Regiment. If the salute is conducted at Pt Jerningham, where about 80 per cent of salutes are fired, the four 25-pounder guns that are stored at that location are used. If the salute is conducted elsewhere, for example at Government House, four 105mm L119 light guns are used. Gun salutes conducted in Auckland are generally fired by the Royal New Zealand Navy.

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