New Zealand government marks Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee

The Prime Minister today set out further government initiatives to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Queen’s Accession to the Throne.

“The forthcoming Queen’s Birthday Honours in New Zealand, to be announced on 3 June, will be ‘The Queen’s Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours 2002’,” Helen Clark said. “The list will include additional honours, including some special appointments to New Zealand’s highest Order, the Order of New Zealand.

“An ecumenical service of thanksgiving will be held on Friday 7 June at 12.30pm at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. The service will be attended by the Governor-General and representatives of the government and the New Zealand Defence Force. Members of the public are very welcome to attend.

“Queen Elizabeth II has been Queen of New Zealand for fifty years and is held in warm regard by New Zealanders. It is fitting that we honour her on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee.

“The government has already taken the opportunity to acknowledge the Jubilee when the Queen was in New Zealand in February. The Queen was at that time presented with a gift from the government and people of New Zealand of the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and the New Zealand Historical Atlas.

“A number of other activities marking the Jubilee, the Queen’s first visit to New Zealand as Sovereign in 1953-54, and subsequent visits, have also occurred or are scheduled to take place.

“These activities include formal acknowledgement of the Jubilee through the message of congratulation sent to the Queen in February 2002, and the resolution by the House of Representatives of congratulations to the Queen. NZ Post has issued a set of Golden Jubilee and Royal Visit stamps and, with the Reserve Bank, issued a commemorative ‘Royal Visit’ coin in October 2001.”

“Parliament’s Visitor Centre has displayed memorabilia of one hundred years of Royal Visits, with a further exhibition to be mounted in June. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has an online exhibition on the 1953-54 visit on its www.nzhistory.net.nz website. The memories of the royal visit submitted by New Zealanders for the website exhibition indicate that visit’s importance for many people.

“Te Papa, the national museum, is planning a major exhibition on the 1953-54 royal visit. This will convey the circumstances of celebrations at that time and examine the visit’s significance. The exhibition is scheduled to open in May 2003.

“1953 was a significant year in the history of our nation. It was not only the first time a reigning monarch had visited this country, but also it was the year that a New Zealander was the first person in the world to conquer Mount Everest.

“I am pleased that Sir Edmund Hillary’s achievement is also to be marked by an important institution. In October this year Auckland Museum will open its exhibition ‘Hillary: View from the Summit’,” Helen Clark said.

Official Golden Jubilee celebrations will be held in Britain between May and July. The central weekend of celebrations will take place from 1 to 4 June. Jubilee Day will be on 4 June, when the Queen will attend a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral.