New Zealand has had 16 resident governors and 19 Governors-General. Their role, duties and influence have changed dramatically over the years. So too have the selection process and the career path, background, gender and age of the people selected for the job.
'To be invisible is to be forgotten,' constitutional theorist Walter Bagehot (1826–77) warned. 'To be a symbol, and an effective symbol, you must be vividly and often seen.' For the King or Queen's New Zealand representative, the Governor-General, that meant hitting the road.
Names such as Grey, Jervois, Ranfurly and Fergusson dot the New Zealand landscape – on buildings, streets and even entire towns. Many people will not know that the names come from New Zealand's 'First Citizens' – the governors or governors-general who represent the sovereign, currently Elizabeth II.
Until the late 1960s New Zealand's Governors-General were British, mainly minor aristocrats or admirals or generals. Each normally served a five-year term.
Few had visited New Zealand, so they needed advice about its climate, customs and cultures. They turned to several sources. Retired Governors-General or friends who had lived here passed on helpful tips. New Zealand House in London also assisted.
Empire Day (24 May), was celebrated widely in New Zealand from 1903 and was a major event in the Vice-regal calendar.
The governor-general's duties are divided into three functions: ceremonial, community and constitutional.
The governor-general takes part in public ceremonies as the individual who represents the state. Important ceremonies include opening new sessions of Parliament, holding honours investitures, welcoming visiting heads of state, receiving the credentials of foreign diplomats and attending Waitangi Day and Anzac Day commemorations.
This function grew considerably over the 20th century. The modern governor-general is usually patron of nearly 200 charitable, service, sporting and cultural organisations. Viceregal sponsorship or patronage signals that an organisation is worthy of wide support. Many of the governor-general's community functions also have a ceremonial dimension: laying foundation stones, opening buildings, addressing conferences and launching special events and appeals.
'This is the 'Union Jack'; and, now that Empire Day has come round once more, you will like to hear its history. It is really a coloured picture from a history-book, telling of things that happened long, long before you were born'.
New Zealand School Journal, Part I, May 1910
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 officers. From the mid-1850s, when colonial politicians made most of the decisions, the Colonial Office sent out senior military officers or career governors with diplomatic or political experience.
