The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visit Christchurch & Kaikōura, New Zealand
Christchurch
Saturday 23rd November
ENGAGEMENT 33 – To be announced
ENGAGEMENT 34
The Duchess of Cornwall visits the Battered Women’s Trust
The Duchess of Cornwall will meet the Chief Executive of the Battered Women’s Trust, Miss Lois Herbert, staff and survivors and learn about the work of the Trust.
Battered Women’s Trust is a not for profit organisation dedicated to supporting families to live violence free.
The charity set up the second refuge in New Zealand and was one of the founding members of the Women’s Refuge partnership in New Zealand. The staff work closely with local services to provide a quick response for victims of domestic violence in the Canterbury area. According to the Chief Executive, an unexpected outcome of the 2011 earthquake was an upsurge in child on parent violence, particularly from young teenage boys, as social networks broke down with the disruption to schooling and local activities.
Since the original group formed in 1976, the Battered Women’s Trust has evolved to offer a range of advocacy and education services as well as rural safe housing, transitional housing and a 24-hour crisis line.
Phase 1 Crisis response:
This includes a crisis phone line; a five-bedroom residential house for women and children in emergency situations; community support for those who wish to stay in their homes but need help to become safe; and a multi-agency integrated safety response to ensure the immediate safety of victims and to work with perpetrators to prevent further violence.
Phase 2 Service delivery:
This includes advocacy support to assist clients with housing, the legal system, medical assistance and financial assistance; upgrade of home security and installation of a monitored family violence alarm; and a transition house for those needing a supported environment while waiting for appropriate longer-term housing.
Phase 3 Education:
BWT offers a 10-week domestic violence education programme for victims; adult safety programmes and safety plans for each child in the household; and the Strengthening Safety Service for victims.
Phase 4 Transformational change:
BWT offers clients long-term transformational change support through counselling; and support groups that become self-managing and often continue for years.
BWT has also adapted their services to support specific issues arising in Canterbury following the earthquakes, such as a spike in teen violence within the family, and increased violence arising from dysfunctional families reuniting because of housing shortages and earthquake-related stress.
ENGAGEMENT 35
The Duchess of Cornwall visits the Botanic Gardens
Her Royal Highness will tour the gardens, accompanied by the Director, Wolfgang Bopp. Her Royal Highness will visit the rose garden and Native Area, where Her Royal Highness will plant a tree before viewing the largest tree in the collection, a giant sequoia.
The Christchurch Botanic Gardens were founded in 1863 and cover 21 hectares adjacent to the Avon River. Over several decades the garden has evolved into a fine collection of hundreds of New Zealand species including the iconic silver fern.
Te Māra Huaota o Waipapa is the Māori name, gifted by Ngāi Tahu, for the Gardens. It translates as the Botanical Gardens of Waipapa, Waipapa being the name of the area along the Avon/Ōtākaro River where the Gardens are located.
The first tree, an English oak, was planted in 1863 to commemorate the marriage of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
Kaikōura
Saturday 23rd November
ENGAGEMENT 36
The Prince of Wales visits Takahanga Marae
His Royal Highness will be greeted by Kaumātua to the Governor-General, Professor Piri Sciascia and Kuia to the Governor-General, Mrs. Ranui Ngarimu outside the Wharenui (meeting house). The Pōwhiri (Māori Ceremonial Welcome) and Karanga (Call of Welcome) will then commence and a Haka Pōwhiri (Dance of Welcome) will be performed. A Waiata Tautoko (song of support) will be sung by mana whenua (Home People) and His Royal Highness will be invited to Hongi (the greeting in which people press their noses together).
His Royal Highness will then be escorted into the Wharenui, where he will be introduced to Leader youth -Te Runanga o Kaikōura Rangatahi, Ms. Miriama Allen. Rangatahi (youth) will tell His Royal Highness the history of the Ngāti Kuri Iwi and their migration to the region, as illustrated by the traditional art that adorns the ceiling. His Royal Highness will meet people actively involved in the post-Earthquake response and groups of Māori youth during the visit.
Takahanga Marae is the standing place for Ngāti Kuri. The Marae buildings and grounds are sacred. The house that stands today is on the exact site of the original house, which stood some 200 years ago. The original Marae was built some 450 years ago by Kāti Mamoe.
ENGAGEMENT 37
The Prince of Wales undertakes a public walkabout in Kaikōura Square
His Royal Highness will meet the Mayor of Kaikōura, Craig Mackle and Deputy Mayor of Kaikōura, Julie Howden, who will both escort His Royal Highness to watch a performance of the Kaikōura Song by the Children’s Choir Group. His Royal Highness will visit the main street and esplanade of Kaikōura, to meet members of the business community and a group of first responders to the earthquake including Red Cross, St Johns Ambulance, Fire Services and members of the public. His Royal Highness will visit a number of stalls set up by local food producers. A group of White Ribbon Riders who are on their annual motorcycle ride raising money and awareness of domestic violence will also be present.
Tourism makes up 12 percent of the local economy, which was badly affected during the post-earthquake period when the township lost road and rail access.
The White Ribbon Ride is an annual week-long motorcycle tour through towns in the North and South Islands, in support of programmes against domestic violence. Events are organised in many of the towns visited, including school visits, marches and breakfasts, fashion parades, quiz nights and Dads and Lads days. The White Ribbon Ride has been running since 2009.
ENGAGEMENT 38
The Prince of Wales attends a Future is Bright Event at Kaikōura Memorial Hall
The Events and Community Service Coordinator of Kaikōura District Council, Joanna York will walk The Prince around the Memorial Hall where he will visit various set ups and displays highlighting the past, present and future of the local area. The Prince will meet a number of gathered guests during the visit including Kaikōura’s Returned and Services Association. The tour will conclude with a display of artwork by local school children.
The tour starts with the “Past”, including images and whale bone from the Kaikōura Museum, Fyffe House (which is the town’s oldest building and home of NZ’s first official European settler Robert Fyffe).
The “Present” will showcase innovative responses to the earthquake, particularly how the town has managed the waste that was produced. The present also includes the small businesses that have continued to thrive and local artists and authors.
The “Future” section will portray wildlife in the area and the efforts that have gone to making sure that the environment, sea life and animals are protected.
ENGAGEMENT 39
The Prince of Wales visits Hutton’s Shearwater Colony
The Prince of Wales will be greeted by Geoff Harrow and Ted Howard from Hutton’s Shearwater Charitable Trust who will tell His Royal Highness about the important conservation initiative to protect migratory seabirds in the area and, in particular, the Hutton’s Shearwater, a species unique to the Kaikōura area. They will show His Royal Highness the nesting birds. The Prince will meet a Community Ranger from the Department of Conservation and Representative of Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura during the visit.
The Hutton’s Shearwater is an endangered seabird endemic to Kaikōura, New Zealand. The only place in the world that this species breeds is high in the Seaward Kaikōura ranges at elevations between 1200m to 1800m. When the Hutton’s Shearwater colonies were rediscovered in 1964, there were eight colonies but only two survive today – on conservation land in the headwaters of the Kowhai River and on private land in Shearwater Stream.
The Hutton’s Shearwater Charitable Trust, in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC), created an artificial breeding colony on the Kaikōura peninsula and has been gradually translocating birds there.
ENGAGEMENT 40 – To be announced
ENGAGEMENT 41
His Royal Highness departs Kaikōura
The Prince of Wales departs Kaikōura for the Solomon Islands.
CATCH UP on the full New Zealand visit at the links below or for more of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s most recent engagements, get a copy of the latest issue of Royal Life.
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 5 | Day 6
