“The New Zealand Parliament is also supporting attendance from the Cook Islands, Niue and Tuvalu”
The Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, is a special guest this morning at the official opening of the 45th Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference (P.O.C.C).
The delegates will be welcomed during an ava ceremony at 8.30.
Being hosted by the Legislative Assembly of Samoa, the conference is an annual event providing an opportunity for professional development and knowledge sharing among the participants.
Twenty-one Speakers and 22 Clerks from Parliaments within the region - including New Zealand and Australia - are in the country for the meeting.
Among them are New Zealand Parliament’s Deputy Speaker, Eric Roy, and Deputy Clerk, Debra Angus.
About the meeting, New Zealand Speaker, David Carter, said it is an important opportunity for professional development and knowledge sharing.
“Through the presentation of papers by participants, Presiding Officers and Clerks from the Pacific are able to discuss parliamentary practice and procedure in their respective parliaments and learn from each other,” he said.
“The New Zealand Parliament is also supporting attendance from the Cook Islands, Niue and Tuvalu.”
Held inside the Maota Fono, the conference will be guided by the theme “Building a Legacy: Strengthening Parliamentary Powers and Independency”.
Alongside the conference two Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) meetings will be held to support regional engagement within the Commonwealth.
The Australian state parliaments have twinning arrangements with the Pacific parliaments in order to foster parliamentary cooperation, through the exchange of information, assistance with training, and exchanges of visits between parliaments.
The New Zealand Parliament and the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia are responsible for managing the twinning arrangements and providing advice and support; our attendance at this conference provides a valuable opportunity to discuss regional issues and enhance these important relationships.
The 44th POCC in 2013 was hosted by the ACT Parliament in Canberra Australia and the Parliament of Solomon Islands in 2012.
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