Councillors have recommended approving a charter which formalizes a relationship between New Plymouth and the new Royal New Zealand Navy vessel, HMNZS Aotearoa.
New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) previously had a charter with the decommissioned HMNZS Endeavour, and accepted the Navy's invitation to be the home port for the new ship.
The charter will formalise the relationship and confer HMNZS Aotearoa the Freedom of the District.
It is a formal declaration of the relationship between the vessel and the citizens, allowing the freedom to parade through the district “with drums beating, colours flying, and bayonets fixed”, a council report said.
This most commonly occurs during a charter parade, which gives citizens the opportunity to acknowledge appreciation for the vessel’s service to the country and recognise the support of families, friends and work colleagues that enable participants to deploy on operations.
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Initial planning is underway for HMNZS Aotearoa’s first visit to her home port, along with a Charter Parade and other formalities.
On Tuesday, the NPDC Strategy and Operations Committee recommended that full council adopt the charter.
Mayor Neil Holdom took part via video conference from Devonport, where he will meet with the captain and receive a tour of the vessel on Wednesday.
