Conference job for N.Z. man

Press, 26 June 1978, Page 4

Conference job for N.Z. man

PA Auckland A public servant has been granted three weeks paid leave to lobby for the Government overseas. He is Mr R. Northey, a recreation and youth adviser in the Department of Internal Affairs, in Auckland, who is in New York City to keep a critical eye on the New ZeaJand delegation to the United Nations disarmament conference.

The secretary of the State Services Commission (Mr T. J. Sanger), said that Mr Northey’s case was on the periphery of what the commission felt should be reasons for granting paid leave. “This issue of paid leave is very much in the melting pot and is being studied by a working party of the State services co-ordinating committee,” he said.

Until recently, paid leave was granted’ where a State employee represented New Zealand in a main sport, but now New Zea-

land representation in fields outside sport appeared to require consideration. Mr Northey is attending the United Nations disarmament conference as an accredited international observer. He represents the National Consultative Committee on Disarmament — a body of national organisations which periodically meets the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to draft a nonGovernmental view on disarmament. Mr Sanger said Mr Northey would do some work on behalf of the Department of Internal Affairs, after the disarmament conference. Before he left for New York, Mr Northey said he

would lobby the New Zea

land delegation “to try to persuade members to take a more positive and constructive stand on the issues coming up.”