|
|
Dear John, Our Queen Elizabeth II The sad death of our Queen Elizabeth the Second has been felt by us all and many people have been surprised at the sad emotions it has brought them. For most of us, Queen Elizabeth had been our Head of State for our whole lives and the Anthem beginning “God Save our Gracious Queen” is all we have ever known. The Queen was a person who gave her all to her position every day, still working at the end of her wonderful long life. She dedicated her life to the service of her people at the age of 25 in 1952 and she showed us love and gave us hope whether we accepted it or not, for over 70 years. So many of the 14 Prime Ministers that worked with her over the years said how much they appreciated her wisdom and support. Boris Johnson said she showed us how to give, how to serve and how to love. He particularly mentioned her humbleness and then named her “Elizabeth the great” in his speech earlier this week. Our Queen has shared her family’s many joys – birth, birthdays, engagements, weddings and anniversaries and of course Christmas with us every year. And when there was tragedy and sadness she was there modelling for all of us her ability to ‘Keep calm and carry on” and giving us words of consolation and hope. Her wisdom has been passed to her heirs as we have heard often recently. Who can forget Prince William coming to Christchurch in 2011 after the earthquakes? He quoted her in his immensely caring speech when he said “My grandmother says that grief is the price we pay for Love.” He ended that wonderful speech “Kia Kaha Christchurch”. Even in death, it was all organised that Prince Charles would immediately be there to step into the place that our Queen has left. We witnessed the very special Accession ceremonies that most of us have never seen before in London on Saturday. They began with the announcement of the Queen’s death followed seamlessly with the announcement that Prince Charles Phillip Arthur George is now our Head of State and Defender of the Faith, King Charles III. And we heard ‘God save our Gracious King’ for the first time in our lives for most of us. These brief words cannot begin to describe the work and life of service that our Queen will be remembered for, a truly remarkable woman in all aspects of her family and public life and now she is gone from us, she truly deserves to be remembered and revered. May she Rest in Peace. Long live the King! Books of Condolence in Auckland can be signed at the Auckland Town Hall or in any of Auckland’s 56 Libraries or at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell. Flowers can be left at the Auckland Town Hall under the Clock tower. For more information please see https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2022/09/acknowledging-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii-in-tamaki-makaurau/ Covid traffic light restrictions have been scrapped from 13 September 2022 The Government has finally announced the end of the Covid protection framework, or 'traffic light' system. The mandates for the wearing of face masks has ended except in medical centres, hospitals, doctor's offices and aged care facilities. At other places like workplaces and at public gatherings mask wearing is discretionary. All vaccine mandates will end in two weeks on September 26th, 2022 but employers can still require workers to be vaccinated if they choose. Travel to New Zealand: Travellers no longer need proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter New Zealand but every person flying into New Zealand must complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration, and receive a Traveller Pass, before travelling to New Zealand. This includes all New Zealand citizens and residents. For the latest travel advice and more information about the New Zealand Traveller Declaration and Pass, please visit the New Zealand Government website. The end to the Covid restrictions and mandates and the dropping of travel restrictions has been a long time coming. But I would like to know if the Government has ordered vaccinations for the new variants that are appearing overseas and will inevitably come here? I am also concerned that more than 38,000 applications for visas for visitors have been received by Immigration New Zealand since 1 August 2022 and less than a quarter have been processed. Local Body Elections We need to exercise our right to vote in the local government elections especially in Auckland where there will be a new Mayor. He or she will need to make a huge effort to resolve the many issues that confront the city at this time. Please use your postal vote wisely. For more on how to vote see: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/elections/information-for-voters/Pages/default.aspx For information about Candidates in Auckland’s local government elections see: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/elections/information-for-voters/Pages/who-you-can-vote-for.aspx Best wishes, Judith Hon Judith
Collins |
|
|