Governor General of New Zealand

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The Governor-General of New Zealand ( English The Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Realm of New Zealand , Māori Te Kāwana Tianara o Aotearoa ) is the representative of the head of state and sovereign of the Kingdom of New Zealand. In addition to New Zealand , this kingdom also includes the Cook Islands , Niue , Tokelau and the Ross sub-area . In the Cook Islands, representation is carried out directly by the Queen's Representative . De facto , the governor general is the head of state of New Zealand (including Tokelau and the Ross subsidiary area) and Niues.

The office of Governor General of New Zealand has been held by Patsy Reddy since September 28, 2016 . She represents the British Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of New Zealand. The governor general is seated in Wellington , the capital of New Zealand. Until the 1960s, only members of the British nobility were provided as representatives.

The flag of the Governor General of New Zealand
Patsy Reddy, Governor General since September 28, 2016

history

governor

In 1642, Abel Tasman was the first European to discover New Zealand. However, European settlement did not take place until after the rediscovery by James Cook and Jean François Marie de Surville in 1769. After disputes with the indigenous Māori , the British government sent James Busby as a resident to New Zealand in 1832 . He wrote a declaration of independence, which 34 Māori chiefs of the North Island signed on October 28, 1835, by July 1839 there were 52 signatories. At the time, there was strong French interest in New Zealand, which led to the establishment of a French settlement on the Banks Peninsula later in August 1840 . Due to political pressure and the race for New Zealand, the Colonial Office in London decided in February 1839 to send William Hobson as consul to New Zealand to negotiate an annexation . The office followed a recommendation from Hobson, who had proposed annexing New Zealand to the British Empire based on the Indian model to protect British settlers .

With the Letters Patent of June 15, 1839, George Gipps , Governor of New South Wales , was appointed as a precautionary governor-in-chief for New Zealand, although there was no legal basis for it. Gipps, in turn, appointed Hobson as Lieutenant Governor of New Zealand. Hobson traveled to the Bay of Islands in late January to negotiate a treaty to annex New Zealand to the United Kingdom . On February 6, 1840, Hobson and 45 Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi . This made George Gipps the first governor of New Zealand. However, he has never set foot on New Zealand soil. With the Letters Patent of November 16, 1840, New Zealand was declared an independent British colony and Hobson was installed as governor. He proclaimed this after receiving the document on May 3, 1841 and is thus de facto the first governor of New Zealand.

Since there were no elected politicians until 1853 and no government determined by parliament until 1856, the first three governors, William Hobson, Robert FitzRoy and George Edward Gray , ruled the colony independently with the support of an executive council. With the election of Henry Sewell as the first Prime Minister of New Zealand on May 7, 1856, this was to change. On the basis of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , political power was now with parliament and the government. The governors retained control of the military, national defense, and foreign policy. The governors were also still involved in Māori matters, although responsibilities were not clearly regulated here.

The first governors of New Zealand in the 19th century mostly had difficulties with the colony in self-government. They came to this office as officers or were used to British colonies where there were no British citizens to rule. The British-born settlers, despite their loyalty to the motherland, fought vehemently for their autonomy and independence. This led to the fact that on July 12, 1907 the transition to the Dominion decided in the House of Representatives and was publicly proclaimed by Governor William Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket on September 26, 1907.

Governor General

With the Letters Patent of May 11, 1917, New Zealand received a Governor General and Commander-in-Chief from King George V as permanent representative of the Crown . This was in recognition of the support of the United Kingdom in the First World War . On June 28, 1917, Governor Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, became the first Governor General of New Zealand.

Arthur Porritt was the first Governor General to be born in New Zealand from 1967 to 1972. His successor Denis Blundell was the first Governor General not to be a British citizen. All previous governors had always been seconded and returned to Britain after their service ended.

In 1974, then Prime Minister Bill Rowling criticized the fact that the Queen of New Zealand could not represent New Zealand overseas effectively enough and advocated that the Governor General should take over this task. Politicians also accused the British crown of penny-pinching because they appointed the governor and kept funds tight. This only changed in 1983 when, under political pressure, the New Zealand parliament was able to decide on the establishment and costs of the governor's office and since then the governor-general has been proposed by the prime minister of New Zealand.

The Governor General is assisted in his function and office by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet .

Appointment and representation

According to the Constitution Act 1986 , the Governor General is appointed by the head of state and represents him in New Zealand. There is no fixed term of office, traditionally he remains in office for around five years.

The appointment of the Governor General must be made in the presence of the Chief Justice or some other justices of the High Court and Executive Council . The governor general must take an oath of office. If the governor general is unable to exercise his office, or if the office is temporarily vacant, the chief justice acts as a proxy for the governor general. If this is also not available, the governor general is represented by the oldest judge in the country.

Duties and powers

With the Letters Patent of November 1, 1983, the Governor General of New Zealand was simultaneously appointed Governor General of the Cook Islands, Niues, Tokelaus and the Ross subsidiary area and, as Commander-in-Chief, is also their military supreme commander.

The Governor General and the House of Representatives together form the New Zealand Parliament .

The Governor General of New Zealand has the task and the right:

  • to open the session of a new parliament.
  • make the appointment of the Prime Minister.
  • accept the resignation of the Prime Minister.
  • dismiss the prime minister, dissolve parliament and call new elections.
  • Laws that have been passed in the House of Representatives, to give the Royal Assent with his signature and thus to give legal force.
  • to appoint the President of the Supreme Court on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
  • appoint key officials on the recommendation of ministers.
  • on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice or on request, to make excuses for errors of justice, reductions in imprisonment and / or pardons.
  • to convene and chair the Executive Council without being a member.
  • to represent the Kingdom of New Zealand internally and externally.

The governor-general of New Zealand has between 400 and 500 mostly representative appointments.

See also

literature

  • Gavin McLean: The Governors - New Zealand's Governors and Governors-General . Otago University Press, Dunedin 2006, ISBN 978-1-877372-25-4 (English).
  • Tom Brooking: The History of New Zealand . Greenwood Press, Westport 2004, ISBN 978-0-313-32356-0 (English).
  • Edmund Bohan: New Zealand - The Story so far . Harper Collins, Auckland 1997, ISBN 978-1-86950-222-5 (English).

Web links

Commons : Governors-General of New Zealand  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand , accessed on May 28, 2010 (English)
  2. ^ Edmund Bohan: New Zealand - The Story so far . Harper Collins, Auckland 1997, ISBN 978-1-86950-222-5 , pp. 22 (English).
  3. ^ John Wilson: Canterbury places - Banks Peninsula . In: Te Ara  - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved May 28, 2010 .
  4. ^ A b Gavin McLean: The Governors - New Zealand's Governors and Governors-General . Otago University Press, Dunedin 2006, ISBN 978-1-877372-25-4 , pp. 24 ff . (English).
  5. ^ Gavin McLean: The Governors - New Zealand's Governors and Governors-General . Otago University Press, Dunedin 2006, ISBN 978-1-877372-25-4 , pp. 9 ff . (English).
  6. ^ Gavin McLean: The Governors - New Zealand's Governors and Governors-General . Otago University Press, Dunedin 2006, ISBN 978-1-877372-25-4 , pp. 167 (English).
  7. ^ Gavin McLean: The Governors - New Zealand's Governors and Governors-General . Otago University Press, Dunedin 2006, ISBN 978-1-877372-25-4 , pp. 16 (English).
  8. ^ The Constitutional Role of the Head of State . The Governor-General, accessed May 28, 2010 .