News:
The focus of the visit was on developing closer inter-Parliamentary ties, and advocating for deeper economic, research and people-to-people connections between New Zealand and Germany.
The Speaker met with the President of the German Federal Parliament, Wolfgang Schäuble, the President of the Berlin Parliament, and the Vice President of the Bavarian State Parliament. He was hosted for lunch by the Pacific Parliamentary Friendship Group, a selection of whom will travel to New Zealand in early March. The Speaker also met with a group of German MPs interested in discussing the New Zealand Parliament’s recent ‘family-friendly’ initiatives.
The Speaker participated in an education promotion event involving a speech on sustainability research opportunities in New Zealand at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, as well as a business roundtable focused on fostering economic connections between Germany and New Zealand.