SPECIAL EVENTS AND PROJECTS

Since its inception, the Trust has organised a number of special events, including a major luncheon address in Parliament by Singapore Senior Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew in 1994 and a briefing for MPs by a panel of senior parliamentarians.  The Trust also organises introductory briefings for new MPs at the start of every new Parliamentary term and other smaller informal social functions when appropriate.
The 1998 Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference was held in New Zealand and provided the Trust with an opportunity to mount a display on the work of the Trust to encourage other Commonwealth countries to start up similar schemes. The conference was attended by over 400 delegates, representing some 56 Commonwealth countries.


President’s Dinners

The first President’s Dinner was held in 1996, hosted by the then President of the Trust, Speaker Sir Peter Tapsell, with a total of 57 guests, including Trustees, representatives of the Trust’s corporate membership, MP Associate Members of the Trust and three other parliamentary guests.  The guest speaker was Rt Hon Geoffrey Palmer, former Prime Minister.
Since 1998, smaller, more prestigious dinners have been hosted two or three times each year by the Speaker and President of the Trust in his or her private apartment in Parliament Building with seven to nine chief executives from the Trust’s corporate membership attending.  Two leaders of parliamentary parties are also invited on each occasion as special guests.  One dinner - usually the first of the year - includes the Prime Minister and another, the Leader of the Opposition.  Other party leaders are invited on a rotational basis.  Each dinner is also attended by the Chairman of the Trust, or another corporate Trustee, and the Executive Director.
The President uses these occasions to thank the corporate members for their support of the Trust and to acquaint them personally with Trust activities and future developments.


Meeting new MPs

After each general election, the Trust organises a function for the MPs who are new to Parliament and takes the opportunity to brief those present on the work of the Trust and in particular, the study programmes provided for members of Parliament, enabling them to spend five days with a corporate member. Associate Members of the Trust, (those existing MPs who have already completed one or more of the Trust’s Business Study Programmes) are also invited and encouraged to share their experiences with their newest Parliamentary colleagues.

Youth Parliament Essay Competition

Since 1997, the Trust has sponsored an essay competition for the Youth Parliament held once in each Parliamentary term.  The aim of the Youth Parliament is to help young people understand and participate in the parliamentary processes, as well as to give them an opportunity to have their views heard.  The Trust supports the aims of the Youth Parliament scheme and has now sponsored the essay competition thee times, in 1997, 2000 and 2004.
On each occasion, the Trust has provided substantial monetary prizes for the winner and each of the two runners-up and the calibre of the essays has been very high with the selection of the winners a demanding task.  In 2004, the Trust also provided a grant towards the work of the Youth Parliament Press Gallery which included the production of a video for schools and a special supplement in the New Zealand Youth Ministry’s newspaper for young people.

The 2007 Youth Parliament was held on 8-11 July 2007 (see www.youthparliament.govt.nz for more details) and the New Zealand Business & Parliament Trust once again sponsored an essay competition for the young people attending, offering substantial prizes to the winner and runners-up writers of the best essays giving details of the Youth MPs’ time in Parliament.

15th Anniversary of the New Zealand Business & Parliament Trust

With the date of the New Zealand Business & Parliament Trust’s inception taking place on 11 December 1991, the Trust celebrated its first 15 years at its 15th Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 21 March 2007, marking the occasion with a special 15th Anniversary Dinner, hosted by its President and Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, Hon Margaret Wilson MP, and held in the evening of the same day, in Parliament’s Banquet Hall. 
The event was attended by 108 supporters of the Trust, comprising past and present Trustees and Board of Management members, Members of Parliament and representatives of its corporate membership.  A special commemorative brochure was released on the same day entitled “The New Zealand Business & Parliament Trust – the First 15 Years”, and can be found on the HOMEPAGE of this website.