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Film: the Queen speaking in Parliament, 1954
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The Queen's Speech from the Throne, 12 January 1954
Still shots and description
The Queen reads her speech inside Parliament.
Commentary:
'Honourable members of the House of Representatives. It is with a feeling of real satisfaction that I speak to you, the elected representatives of the people of New Zealand, as your Queen and that I exercise my prerogative of opening the fourth session of this 30th Parliament. One hundred years ago, when the people of New Zealand gave to themselves the right of responsible self-government, it would have required a prophetic imagination to have foreseen the possibility of the present occasion. But in these hundred years, New Zealand has grown to be a sovereign and mature state.'
Archives New Zealand
The Royal tour of New Zealand, 1953–54 (National Film Unit)
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YahooHow to cite this page: 'Film: the Queen speaking in Parliament, 1954', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/video/the-queens-speech-in-parliament, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 25-Oct-2007
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