Navy to host Senior Sailors Symposium

The inaugural Senior Sailors Symposium is to be hosted by the Royal New Zealand Navy in Auckland from Tuesday 13 November to Friday 16 November 2007.

Numerous informal discussions over the past few years between Chiefs of Navies of many different nations, has resulted in the development of the Senior Sailors Symposium, which aims to strengthen collaboration and cooperation among sailors across the world.

Invitations to the symposium have been extended to 26 nation, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Vietnam.

The Warrant Officer of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Warrant Officer Neil Roberts said, "We are delighted to host this fantastic event and provide the opportunity for the senior sailors from Navy's around the world to get together for discussions to build new, and enhance existing, relationships."

Over the four day period, attendees will be involved in a cultural welcome, a meet and greet function, two days of presentations and discussions, a cultural evening and a formal gala dinner.

One day of sightseeing to showcase the sights and sounds of Auckland, and New Zealand is also planned.