Government commemorates 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta

  • Christopher Finlayson
Attorney-General

Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson is tonight hosting a function at Parliament to commemorate the 800th Anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta.

“Over time, Magna Carta has come to represent a number of fundamental principles including the protection of human rights, freedom of religion, the right to justice and, most importantly, the rule of law,” Mr Finlayson said.

This Parliamentary function forms part of a programme of events across New Zealand coordinated by the Magna Carta 800 Committee for New Zealand.

Mr Finlayson also congratulated the winners of the Attorney-General’s Magna Carta 800 Essay Competition, Max Ashmore of Auckland (University Student category) and Liam Booth of Wellington (High School Student category).

“We received a number of high quality entries and I would like to acknowledge all those who took the time to consider the role of Magna Carta in modern day New Zealand,” Mr Finlayson said.