governor-general

Notes for My Successor

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  Until the late 1960s New Zealand's governors-general were British, mainly minor aristocrats, or admirals or generals.

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• Page 2 – Jobs for the boys

  As the new boy would have known, it was a so-called job for the boys, a political gift. Lords Bledisloe (1930–35), Galway (1935–41) and Sir Bernard Freyberg (1946

• Page 3 – Staff and servants

  Lord Bledisloe (1930–35) felt that senior staff 'should be fond of dancing and of games and sport of all kinds, as these accomplishments appeal to people here I

• Page 4 – Hail and farewell

  The new governor-general had to make a good impression. That meant landing in the capital.

• Page 5 – A home away from 'Home'

  Government House in Wellington is a busy place. Every year it hosts about 15,000 guests at 200 functions.

• Page 6 – Pay and perks and handy hints

  The colonial government cut the vice-regal salary and allowances from £7500 to £5000 in the late 1880s, just when the declining British aristocracy was looking to the

• Page 7 – The governor-general on the move

  How the governors-general moved about the country

• Page 8 – From lieutenant-governor to governor-general

  An outgoing governor-general's 'Notes for My Successor' have had their day. New Zealand governors-general already know the country and have no need to pack their household

• Page 9 – Further information

  Find out more about the governors general of New Zealand.

Empire Day

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  Empire Day (24 May), celebrated widely in New Zealand from 1903, was a major event in the viceregal calendar.

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• Page 1 - Empire DayEmpire Day (24 May), celebrated widely in New Zealand from 1903, was a major event in the viceregal

History of the Governor-General

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  New Zealand has had a governor or (from 1917) a governor-general since 1840. The work of these men and women has reflected the constitutional and political history of New Zealand in many ways.

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• Page 2 – Modern duties

  The governor-general's duties are divided into three functions: ceremonial, community and constitutional.

• Page 3 – Crown colony era

  New Zealand became a British colony in 1840, legitimised by the Treaty of Waitangi and Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson's 21 May declaration of sovereignty.

• Page 4 – Responsible government

  From the 1840s settlers demanded a say in government. Governor George Grey suspended an overly elaborate constitution in 1846, but the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 gave

• Page 5 – Splendid ornamentals

  With the appointment of Lord Onslow in 1889, a new type of governor took up residence in Government House.

• Page 6 – Regalised

  The constitutional arrangements of the British Empire changed greatly between the creation of the Imperial War Cabinet in 1917 and the passing of the Statute of Westminster in

• Page 7 – Patriated

  Late last century, New Zealand governments patriated (indigenised) the governor-generalship.

• Page 8 – Uber diplomat?

  From 1926, in accordance with decisions taken as a consequence of the Balfour Declaration, governors-general merely represented the sovereign in New Zealand.

• Page 9 – Further information

  Find out more about the history of the Governor-General.

Viceregal visiting

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  'To be invisible is to be forgotten,' constitutional theorist Walter Bagehot (1826–77) warned. For the King or Queen's New Zealand representative, the governor-general, that meant hitting the road

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• Page 2 – Putting on appearances

  New Zealanders loved a good viceregal do, and no one was observed more closely than Their Excellencies.

• Page 3 – Organising a small-town do

  Empire may have shrunk in the 1950s, but no one wanted to be bypassed.

• Page 4 – Some say yes; some say no

  Like his predecessors, Sir Denis Blundell (1972–7) travelled widely throughout New Zealand.

• Page 5 – Recent changes

  By the 1970s, the nature of viceregal visiting had changed. New Zealanders, not Britons, now held the job, so they did not need to be introduced.

• Page 6 – Further information

  Find out more about viceregal visiting.

Governors and Governors-General

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  New Zealand has had 16 resident governors and 22 governors-general. Two early governors were called governor-in-chief.

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• Page 2 – Selection process

  In the days of the Empire, the British government appointed New Zealand's governors and governors-general. New Zealand had no say.

• Page 3 – Career paths

  As the job evolved over time, so did the type of person needed to govern successfully. Between 1840 and 1853, when governors ruled personally, they were junior navy or army

• Page 4 – Genes, gender and age

  From 1840 until 1972, New Zealand's governors and governors-general were British.

• Page 5 – Further information

  Find out more about the governors and governors-general of New Zealand.

The House of Representatives

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  New Zealand's Parliament dates back to 1854, just 14 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and the beginning of the European settlement of the country. For most of its history as a nation state, New Zealand has had some form of elected government.

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• Page 3 - ParliamentToday there are two parts to Parliament – the House of Representatives (or the Lower House) and the Governor-General, but between 1854 and 1951 there was a third part, the

Queen Elizabeth II

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  Queen Elizabeth II became New Zealand's monarch on 6 February 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI

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• Page 2 - Constitutional and public ceremonial rolesThe Queen was New Zealand’s head of state. Her title was confirmed by Royal Titles Acts of 1953 and 1974, the latter entitling her ‘Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God