At the request of the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, the Honourable Paul Goldsmith, the New Zealand Flag is to be flown at half-mast on all Government and public buildings on Tuesday 12 November 2024 to mark the burial of Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies KNZM, the passing of the last of the 28 th Māori Battalion, and in acknowledgement of the service and sacrifice of the more than 3,500 Māori men who fought as the 28 th Māori Battalion during the Second World War.

The New Zealand Flag should be flown at half-mast all day on Tuesday, 12 November 2024. This instruction applies to all Government Departments, buildings and naval vessels which have flag poles and normally fly the New Zealand Flag. The Flag should be returned to full mast at the close of business hours on Tuesday, 12 November 2024.

The flag is half-masted by first raising it to the top of the mast and then immediately lowering it slowly to the half-mast position. The half-mast position will depend on the size of the flag and the length of the flagpole. The flag must be lowered to a position recognisably "half-mast" to avoid the appearance of a flag which has accidentally fallen away from the top of the flagpole. As a guide, the flag should be more than its own depth from the top of the flagpole. At the end of the day, the flag should be raised again to the top of the flagpole before being fully lowered.

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