3 October 2019

Deputy Speaker Hon Anne Tolley is leading a delegation to Europe next week, with parliamentary visits, bilateral engagements, and an inter-parliamentary assembly on the agenda.

The delegation includes Rt Hon David Carter (National), Hon Paul Goldsmith (National), and Kieran McAnulty MP (Labour). The programme begins with a visit to the European Parliament, including an official exchange with the European Parliament’s Delegation for Australia and New Zealand.

This will be followed by engagements with the Belgian Parliament, the Flemish Regional Parliament, and the Wallonia Regional Parliament. The delegation will attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate and the commemoration of the battle of Passchendaele.

From 13 to 17 October, the delegation is attending the 141st Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia, where the theme will be ‘Strengthening international law: Parliamentary roles and mechanisms, and the contribution of regional cooperation’. The programme will conclude on 18 October with a bilateral visit to Hungary, including meetings with the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

“The IPU Assembly is always a valuable opportunity for our parliamentarians to share knowledge with global counterparts and stay abreast of international developments. I’m pleased that we have a strong cross-party group representing our Parliament at this important meeting,” said Speaker Rt Hon Trevor Mallard.

The IPU Assembly, held twice a year, is the principal statutory body that expresses the views of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on political issues. At the IPU, Hon Anne Tolley serves as Second Vice-President of the Bureau of Women MPs, and Rt Hon David Carter is a member of the Human Rights of Parliamentarians Committee.

The New Zealand delegation’s programme runs from 10 to 18 October, 2019.

ENDS

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