Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1995
13 July 1995
Auckland, New Zealand 10-13 November 1995
Media Arrangements
The next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, from 10-13 November 1995. The venue will be the Aotea Centre, Auckland. The CHOGM Media Centre, with facilities for writing and broadcast media, will be located at the Auckland Town Hall, adjacent to the Aotea Centre.
Heads of Government will be on Retreat at the Millbrook Resort, a country club some 15 minutes from the South Island alpine tourism town of Queenstown. They will fly there on 11 November, returning to Auckland on 12 November. Selected Press will be permitted to cover the Millbrook Retreat on a limited pool basis (see accommodation, transport, and pool details below).
Accreditation
Access to media facilities will be available only to accredited media representatives. Accreditation is open to bona fide journalists, broadcasters, photographers, film and television cameramen and technicians. Applications for accreditation should be made on the attached form (Appendix A) or on photocopies made from it. Applications must be accompanied by a letter on company letterhead, signed by a senior executive, confirming that the applicant has been assigned to cover CHOGM and indicating his or her function (reporter, cameraman, etc).
Media representatives should report to the Media Accreditation Centre which will be located on the ground floor 1-5 Mayoral Drive, Auckland (this is the SIL Building at the corner of Mayoral Drive and Wellesley St, near the Aotea complex; please use the Mayoral Drive entrance).
Accreditation applications (except from New Zealand, Australia and Pacific Island-based media) should be sent to the following by 15 SEPTEMBER:
CHOGM Accreditation
Information and Public Affairs Division
Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House, Pall Mall
London SW1Y 5HX
Britain
Phone: + 44 171 747 6385
Facsimile: + 44 171 839 9081
Accreditation applications from New Zealand, Australia and Pacific Island-based media should be sent by 15 September to:
Tom Bridgman
Director, Media Services and Facilities
CHOGM Task Force
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Private Bag 18 901
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: + 64 4 471 3445 or + 64 4 471 3440
Facsimile: + 64 4 499 6354
Media Facilities
Main Press Work Area
A general working area will be provided in the Media Centre. The work area will be equipped with a number of typewriters, word-processor PCs (Microsoft Word 6 software) and printers. Telecommunication facilities (fax, telephone and telex) will be provided. Telephones provided in the general work area will have data transmission connectors.The New Zealand standard is the BT (British Telecom) connector but other modular jacks, e.g. the RJ45 and RJ11 used in the United States, can also be supported. The power supply in New Zealand is 230 volts AC, 50 hertz.
Television and Radio
A separate notice on facilities provided for television and radio and prepared by the host broadcaster, Television New Zealand, will be issued shortly.
Photographs
Arrangements will be made with a local commercial firm for the fast processing of colour and black and white film in Auckland and Queenstown. Photo-transmission facilities will also be
provided in Auckland at the Media Centre. Photographic processing and transmission costs will be the responsibility of those requiring the service.
General
The Auckland Town Hall Media Centre will also provide the following facilities for all media: an information desk, main and supplementary briefing room, cafe/bar, equipment check-room, first-aid room, small interview room.
Scheduled daily briefings by the meeting spokesperson and news conferences will take place in the Media Centre or the ASB Theatre in the Aotea Centre.
Closed circuit television will show Television New Zealand Host Broadcast material through the media centre.
Office Space
A small number of offices for news agencies or other news organisations are available, depending on demand. These can be supplied with basic furniture (desks, chairs, etc) but other equipment will need to be provided by the users.
To request specialist office space or for further information on the CHOGM MEDIA CENTRE at the earliest opportunity please contact:
Tom Bridgman
Director, Media Services and Facilities
CHOGM Task Force
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Private Bag 18 901
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: + 64 4 471 3445 or + 64 4 471 3440
Facsimile: + 64 4 499 6354
Telecommunications
Local (Auckland area) calling from Host Government-supplied phones in the Media Centre will be free. Payment will need to be made by the user for all other phone calls (national and international), and for facsimile and telex services. Credit Cards, Calling Cards and cash will be accepted by Telecom New Zealand. Telecom will also provide payphones on site which will accept Credit Cards or Telecom Phonecards which can be purchased in the Media Centre in NZ$10, NZ$20 and NZ$50 denominations.
Media organisations or individuals who wish to order their own specialist telecommunication services should fill in Appendix B and return it at the earliest opportunity with accreditation and other forms.
Accommodation And Transport
Rooms in several hotels in Auckland have been booked for use by visiting media. A transport shuttle service provided by the host government will operate between the hotels and the Media Centre.
Fill in Appendix C to book hotel rooms. Please note while every effort will be made to meet individual accommodation requests, it may be necessary to resort to second and third choices.
Pressure for accommodation will be intense in Auckland so media are asked to return hotel booking forms no later than 15 SEPTEMBER. Allocations will be made after that date, and late requests will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Arrival
Complimentary transport will be available to take media representatives arriving by international flights from Auckland International Airport to the central city (about 25kms). For those making their own arrangements, normal airport shuttles (about NZ$15 a person) and taxis (about NZ$40) are also available.
Please note that airport tax of NZ$20 is payable on departure.
Passports And Visas
Nationals of all Commonwealth countries require visitor visas to enter New Zealand UNLESS they are from the following Commonwealth countries or are British passport holders with the right to live permanently in Britain:
Australia, Britain (passport holders with the right to live permanently in Britain), Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Kiribati, Malaysia, Malta, Nauru, Singapore, Tuvalu.
A list of New Zealand diplomatic missions where visas can be applied for is available, if required, from the Information and Public Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, London. British High Commissions in many countries are also able to issue New Zealand visitor visas so media without easy access to a New Zealand High Commission should apply for one from their local British High Commission.
Nationals of non-Commonwealth countries should also check with New Zealand diplomatic missions to see if they require a visitors visa to enter New Zealand.
Health Requirements
New Zealand is free from epidemic diseases, and even common infectious diseases are rare. Therefore, no vaccinations are required for international travellers.
Customs Clearance
Media bringing heavy duty equipment should have an international carnet de passage. If they do not have a carnet they should provide evidence that they are travelling to New Zealand to cover the CHOGM and also be able to supply New Zealand Customs authorities with a detailed inventory of their equipment, including serial numbers and value.
This requirement does not apply to journalists just carrying laptop computers or similar work-related equipment.
Prohibited Items
A list of goods subject to entry or exit rules follows (in certain cases their entry or exit is prohibited and any such item must be declared): agricultural items (i.e., food, plants, animals or their products); medicines (require a prescription and need to be in original containers); firearms and weapons; threatened species; indecent articles; radio transmitters; domestic pets.
Millbrook/Queenstown Retreat
Heads of Government will be on Retreat at the Millbrook Resort in the scenic Queenstown/Arrowtown alpine resort area of New Zealand's South Island. Millbrook is about 15 minutes drive from Queenstown. This will be a weekend for private, informal discussions and recreation, limited to Heads of Delegation. Selected Press will be permitted to cover the official Millbrook Retreat on a limited pool basis.
It is proposed that this official pool have a maximum of 35 participants comprising 5 television crews with journalists (15), and about 10 still photographers, with the balance a mix of radio and writing Press. Composition of the pool will be determined at the CHOGM.
Queenstown is a prime tourist destination in New Zealand and November is a very popular month for visitors so transport and accommodation requirements must be planned well in advance. The Host New Zealand Government has booked hotel rooms and transport to Queenstown (air charter) for the up to 35 media pool members. Those in the pool will be required to pay the cost of their seat(s) if used and also to pay for their allocated pre-booked hotel room and other accommodation costs at the Park Royal Hotel, Queenstown.
A small sub-Press Centre with limited facilities will be established at the Park Royal for the pool and other media in the Queenstown/Arrowtown area for the Retreat. Host Broadcast material from the Retreat will be relayed back to the Media Centre at Auckland.
On Sunday morning 12 November a Remembrance Day Service expected to be attended by Commonwealth leaders will be held at the picturesque Arrowtown War Memorial about 15 minutes drive from Queenstown. Non-pool media will be able to attend this event. However they should be aware the War Memorial site is cramped so television outlets in particular would be advised to avail themselves of the Host Broadcaster feed provided from Television New Zealand. Pictures and sound from this event will be relayed back to the CHOGM Media Centre at Auckland.
Media not part of the pool and who wish to book their own accommodation in Queenstown would be advised to do so at the earliest opportunity. A central reservation booking service is operated by Queenstown Reservations New Zealand Limited, P O Box 230, Queenstown, New Zealand. Tel: + 64 3 442 7319; Fax: + 64 3 442 6749.
Airline costs Auckland to Queenstown are approximately NZ$1100 full economy return on scheduled daily flights and media would be advised to book early.
95/26 13 July 1995
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