NEW ZEALAND WAITANGI DAY 2012

Early day motion 2698, tabled 6 February 2012 by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative). Signed by 15 members.

That this House is proud to join the people of New Zealand in celebrating Waitangi Day, their national day, on 6 February, which in 2012 coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen's accession to the throne, in the year of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, a day that commemorates the historic signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and that marks the coming together of the Maori people and representatives of the British Crown; recognises the importance of maintaining the closest relations between the UK and New Zealand; cherishes the strong historical bond and unshakable friendship that exists between all the peoples of the British Isles and the islands of New Zealand; further recognises the shared heritage, common language, long-standing trading relationships and deeply interwined cultural, educational and military ties that exist between these great allies and Commonwealth members who also take pride in sharing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State and Sovereign; and urges the UK Government to continue to foster and strengthen this special relationship that, despite the long distances that separate two nations that are oceans apart and on opposite corners of the Earth, continues to bind those two nations together.

Signatures by party: DUP 5, Conservative 4, Labour 3, Liberal Democrat 2, Independent 1.