The Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, yesterday sent his well wishes to his New Zealand counterpart, John Key, on the commemoration of Waitangi Day.

“On behalf of the Government and the people of Fiji, I am pleased to send to you and the people of New Zealand our very best wishes on this Waitangi Day anniversary commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi,” Mr Bainimarama said.

He said the commemoration was a day to give thanks for the rich New Zealand past and celebrate its promising future.

Mr Bainimarama said Fiji and New Zealand had a long-standing relationship that has endured the test of recent times.

“The current re-engagement taking place at various levels is a positive indication of our mutual desire and commitment to strengthen our friendship and enhance our cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues,” Mr Bainimarama said.

“I look forward to strengthening the relationship between the two Pacific sovereign nations and of the many benefits to be gained in the process.”

New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji Mark Ramsden, while speaking during the Waitangi Day celebration at his residence in Suva last night, said there were deep similarities between Fiji and New Zealand.

President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Police Commissioner Bernardus Groenewald, the Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Jioji Konrote, and Fiji Roads Authority chief executive officer Neil Cook were some of the VIP guests who attended the celebrations last night.

“Our indigenous people share traditions and ancestry. We were both British colonies. We are now both vibrant bicultural and multicultural societies,” Mr Ramsden said.

He said we also shared economic challenges and opportunities which came from our islandness and remoteness.

“We are both fantastic tourist destinations. We are highly dependent upon agriculture as the other mainstay our economies,” Mr Ramsden said.

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