Governor will not send aide

Press, 5 February 1986, Page 8

Governor will not send aide

The Governor-General, Sir Paul Reeves, has decided not to send an honorary aide to represent him at the Banks Peninsula Waitangi Day celebrations at Okains Bay tomorrow. “Any honorary aide at the Okains Bay celebrations is not considered appropriate this year,” said Sir Paul’s secretary, Mr Paul Canham, yesterday. “Sir Paul is sending

no representative to any Waitangi Day celebrations where he cannot go himself.” Several Maori people taking part in the Okains Bay celebration were disappointed at the decision, said the organiser, Mr Murray Thacker, yesterday. “I am also disappointed, but unwilling to comment too much about it in the hope that the Governor-

General will send a representative in future years,” he said. “A naval officer from Christchurch usually attends the celebrations on behalf of the Gover-nor-General, and we are hopeful that this will happen again when several major projects here come to fruition. “These include the restoration of old buildings in the bay, the construction

of more water wheels, and further museum developments.” The Maori welcome, scheduled to begin at 10.30 a.m. tomorrow, would still go ahead, Mr Thacker said. A hangi lunch and Maori war canoe arrival would follow, while several museum demonstrations were planned throughout the day.