Senior Military officer Col Rian McKinstry attends 106th anniversary of the Battle of Arras

Senior Military officer and Defence diplomat of New Zealand, Colonel Rian McKinstry, attended a commemorative ceremony at the WellingtonTunnels, Northern France marking the 106th anniversary of the Battle of Arras, with New Zealand ambassador to France, to France, Caroline Bilkey, on Sunday, April 9, 2023.

The New Zealand Embassy in Belgium posted an update on their social media recently shared about the Senior Military officer and Defence diplomat of New Zealand. Colonel Rian McKinstry attended a commemorative ceremony at the Wellington Tunnels, Northern France marking the 1006th anniversary of the Battle of Arras, with New Zealand ambassador to France, to France, Caroline Bilkey, on Sunday, April 9, 2023.

The New Zealand Embassy also shared some glimpses from the 106th anniversary of the Battle of Arras ceremony held at Willington Tunnels in Northern France, with some incredible Music, History Readings, and performances that took place in the ceremony.

Senior Military officer and Defence diplomat of New Zealand, Colonel Rian McKinstry, attended the ceremony with New Zealand Ambassador Caroline Bilkey and the Director of Congressional Affairs at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington. Caroline Bilkey also served his leadership in various positions, including Chief of Protocol, Special Representative for the Pacific Islands Forum, and Deputy Director of the Legal Division.

The New Zealand Embassy shared that the 106th anniversary of the Battle of Arras ceremony was packed with some incredible history, readings and music performances. The embassy also shared that the ceremony was made extra special by the presence of their friends from Waka Gezelschap der KSRV ”Njord” who performed a Haka Tangaroa and the waiata Tumatuenga e Katanga in the ceremony.

At Last, The New Zealand Embassy in Belgium expressed their gratitude to Colonel Rian McKinstry and Caroline Bilkey for making the ceremony memorable with their presence. They also thanked Mr Eric Compernolle for capturing the beautiful memories from the ceremony.