Czech Republic Parliamentary Delegation visit

Wellington November 2019

Report on Czech Republic Parliamentary Delegation visit

19-21 November 2019

Background

The visit by the Czech Republic’s Deputy Speaker and Foreign Affairs Committee was to enable the delegation to meet with New Zealand parliamentarians and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to discuss a range of topics including migration and trade. It was also to give the delegation a deeper context into New Zealand in advance of the European Union – New Zealand Free Trade Agreement while discussing further cooperation and growth in bilateral relations.

Meetings within Parliament

The New Zealand Speaker, Rt Hon , hosted a dinner and held an official meeting with the Czech delegation. The dinner was also attended by New Zealand members of Parliament: - Simon O’Connor, Chairperson Foreign Affairs and Defence and Trade Committee; - - Kieran McAnulty, member Business and Primary Production select committees, Junior Whip, Labour Party; - Willow-Jean Prime, Parliamentary Private Secretary for local government and member of the Governance and Administration select committee; and - Dr , Chairperson, Environment select committee and member Finance and Expenditure, and Regulations Review, select committees. This enabled the delegation to have wide discussions of interest on parliamentary process and bilateral matters.

The delegation had a luncheon with New Zealand members of Parliament which was hosted by Co-Chair of the New Zealand-Europe Parliamentary Friendship group MP. The luncheon included Assistant Speaker MP and former Speaker, Rt Hon David Carter MP.

Left: NZ MPs with the delegation, left to right: Adrian Rurawhe, Assistant Speaker; Rt Hon David Carter, Hon Paul Goldsmith, Marja Lubeck, , Hon David Bennett, Chair, Primary Production Committee. Right: Marja Lubeck welcomes the delegation.

The Czech delegation was introduced to the House before observing Question Time, with the New Zealand Speaker escorting the Czech Deputy Speaker to the floor of the House, accompanied by the two New Zealand Assistant Speakers, Hon MP and Adrian Rurawhe MP.

On Thursday the delegation had a meeting with Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Disarmament and Arms Control and for Regional Economic Development. The meeting covered a number of bilateral and trade matters, geo-political developments in the Asia-Pacific region, and included the New Zealand/ Czech Republic working holiday scheme. These discussions continued at a meeting with the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Select Committee.

Meetings outside Parliament

Near the commencement of their Wellington programme, the delegation met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This covered recent political developments in Europe and New Zealand trade relations with the European Union. It established good ground for the delegation to take forward into their parliamentary meetings on these subjects. A New Zealand Treasury official briefed the delegation on the ’s 2019 Wellness Budget, its priorities and the process that drew these together. The delegation visited the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park where they were provided information on New Zealand’s involvement in World Wars One and Two in Europe and saw the memorials from different countries in the special park there. At Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand, “Gallipoli: the scale of our war” exhibition, showed more of New Zealand’s World War One involvement, while the Te Taiao/Nature and Manu Whenua exhibitions provided insights to environment, conservation and Māori as tangata whenua (indigenous people) in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Conclusion

The programme in Wellington provided Czech Republic’s Deputy Speaker Voitěch Pikal, and the Foreign Affairs Committee with a variety of opportunities to discuss the work of parliamentarians and share experiences and ideas.

The bilateral relationship between New Zealand and the Czech Republic and how this could be further enhanced given the Czech Republic’s central geographic location in the European Union and possibilities for bilateral trade growth, was a central focus in principal meetings.

This delegation had visited Northland, and before their programme in Wellington. As a result, the delegation had been able to learn a lot about earlier linkages between the two countries, and gain more in depth knowledge and experiences of the country.

The visit demonstrated that much goodwill exists between the countries. It fostered a renewal of inter-parliamentary relations and possibilities for further such engagement.

Programme in Wellington

Mihi Whakatau at Parliament

Meeting with the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, Rt Hon Trevor Mallard MP

Meeting with New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

VIP Tour of Parliament

Lunch with New Zealand Members of Parliament

Introduction to the House and observation of Question Time

Meeting with Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Disarmament and Arms Control, and for Regional Economic Development

Visit Pukeahu/National War Memorial

Pukehau/National War Memorial Te Papa Tongarewa/Museum of New Zealand

Reception and Official Dinner hosted by Rt Hon Trevor Mallard MP Speaker

Thursday 21 November Meeting with Treasury

Meeting with Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee

New Zealand members of Parliament, left to right, Hon , , Paulo Garcia, Simon O’Connor (Chairperson), Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki, , and Willow-Jean Prime.

Te Papa Museum of New Zealand

With view over Wellington Harbour/ Te Whanganui-a-Tara

Delegation

Vojtěch Pikal, MP Vice President (Deputy Speaker) Political group: Czech Pirate Party

Vice-Chairman Steering Committee

Subcommittees: Chairman, on Preparation of Recommendations for Conferring or Awarding State Decorations, Heraldy and Vexillology, War Veterans, for Countryman Relations and on Development and Cooperation . Standing Commission on the Constitution of the Czech Republic,

Ondřej Veselý MP Political group: Czech Social Democratic Party

Chairman of Committee on Foreign Affairs. Committee on European Affairs

Subcommittees: on Digitalisation in Justice and E- collection, for Countryman Relations, on European Funds and Cross-boarder Cooperation and on Housing Policy,

Standing Commission on the Constitution of the Czech Republic,

Jaroslav Bžoch MP Political group: ANO 2011

Vice-Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs Committee on European Affairs

Subcommittees: on Sport, Foreign Economic Relations and Migration and Asylum Policy

Permanent Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Marek Benda MP Political group: Civic Democratic Party, Vice-Chairman

Committees on Foreign Affairs and Mandate and Immunity Chairman of Committee on Constiutional and Legal Affairs.

Subcommittees: on Surrogate Upbringing Care; on Gamekeeping, Fisheries, Apiculture, Gardening and Animal Husbandry; and on Digitalisation in Justice and E-collection

Permanent Commissions on Family Issues, Equal Opportunities and Minorities; on Oversight over the work of the Security Information Service; and the Standing Commission on the Constitution of the Czech Republic

Vít Rakušan MP Political group: Mayors and Independents, Vice-Chairman

Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Security Committees on Foreign Affairs and Security

Subcommittee on Freedom of Speech and Media

Chairman, Permanent Commission on Oversight over the work of Military Intelligence,

Veronika Cihelková, Foreign Affairs Committee Clerk

Jitka Lipenská, Czech Inter-Parliamentary Relations

*Information and members photos from: Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic https://public.psp.cz

Embassy of the Czech Republic

Tomáš Dub Ambassador

Ondřej Boháč, Deputy Head of Mission