The Governor-General of New Zealand, Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jerry Mateparae will make a State Visit to Singapore from 6 to 8 July 2015 at the invitation of President Tony Tan Keng Yam. Governor-General Mataparae will be accompanied by his wife Lady Janine Mateparae and officials from the New Zealand Government House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
An official welcome ceremony will be held for Governor-General Mateparae on 7 July, following which he will have separate meetings with President Tan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. President Tan and Mrs Tan will host a State Banquet in honour of Governor-General Mateparae and Lady Janine that evening.
During the course of Governor-General Mateparae’s visit to Singapore, he will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on a tour of the Treelodge@Punggol, HDB’s first Eco-Precinct. Deputy Prime Minister Teo will host Governor-General Mateparae to lunch after the tour. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen will also host Governor-General Mateparae to lunch to reaffirm the close and long-standing defence ties between Singapore and New Zealand. Governor-General Mateparae will be accompanied by Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) to view ongoing collaboration between Singapore and New Zealand at the Neurodevelopment Research Centre under A*STAR’s Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences.
Governor-General Mateparae and Lady Janine will attend an orchid-naming and tree-planting ceremony at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 7 July.
Governor-General Mateparae’s visit underscores the excellent ties between Singapore and New Zealand as both countries commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. There is close cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, defence, and the people-to-people sectors.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
5 JULY 2015