High Commissioner Somasundaram Skandakumar presented credentials to His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Hon. Sir Jerry Mateparae GNZM, QSO Governor General and Commander-in-Chief, in Auckland New Zealand on 10th February 2016.
The Credential ceremony included a Māori ceremonial challenge; the Wero, (‘Wero’ is an ancient warrior tradition of the Māori which is aimed at determining whether visitors come in peace) a military guard of honour, followed by the presentation of credentials to the Governor General.
His Excellency noted that New Zealand was an important trading partner for Sri Lanka, although at present the balance of trade was largely in favour of New Zealand. He said that it was his intention to focus on rectifying this towards a more balanced trade relationship by expanding the economic cooperation between the two countries. He observed further that the sizeable Sri Lankan community of over 12,000 who had made New Zealand their home had contributed constructively to the social, cultural and economic development of their adopted homeland which continue to be a source of pride for Sri Lanka.
