A crowd of 50,000 greeted Queen Elizabeth II, resplendent in her coronation gown, when she opened a special session of the New Zealand Parliament in its centennial year.
Royalty
Events In History
23 December 1953
For the New Zealanders who experienced it, the visit of the young Queen and her dashing husband, Prince Philip, in the summer of 1953–4 was a never-to-be forgotten event.
26 August 1911
On this day King George V signed the Royal Warrant assigning the first New Zealand Coat of Arms. The Warrant was published in the New Zealand Gazette on 11 January 1912.
11 April 1869
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, arrived in Wellington as captain of the frigate HMS Galatea. The first member of the British royal family to visit New Zealand, he was greeted with haka, speeches and bunting.
Articles
Royal Visit of 1953-54
For those New Zealanders who experienced it, the visit of the young Queen and her dashing husband, Prince Philip, to New Zealand in the summer of 1953-54 was a never-to-be forgotten event. Read the full article
Page 1 - The royal visit, 1953-54
For those New Zealanders who experienced it, the visit of the young Queen and her dashing husband, Prince Philip, to New Zealand in the summer of 1953-54 was a never-to-be
Page 2 - Itinerary
The progress of the royal visit down the length of the
Page 3 - Popularity
Why was the royal visit of 1953/4 greeted with such enthusiasm by New
Page 4 - The Queen and Māori
For many Māori the royal visit raised important issues about their place in New
Page 5 - A pastoral paradise
Following their stay in Auckland and visits to Waitangi, Hamilton and Rotorua, the Queen and Duke had a two-day break at Lake Rotoiti before flying to Gisborne and Napier. The
Page 6 - A loyal people
As head of the Church of England the Queen laid the foundation stone of the new Anglican cathedral in Wellington, and as head of the Commonwealth's armed forces she laid a
Page 7 - Great place to bring up children
On the day of the reception for children at Athletic Park, the Evening Post wrote: 'As the mother of two young children 12,000 miles away, the Queen today assumed the role of
Page 8 - Remembering the royals
Memories from around the country of the 1953-54 royal tour to New
Page 9 - Later royal visits
On 30 January 1954 the Gothic sailed from Bluff and after a brief side trip into Milford Sound, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip departed for Australia. They have returned nine
Page 10 - Further information
Recommended books and websites relating to the 1953-4 Royal
Viceregal visiting
'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 Read the full article
Page 1 - Viceregal visiting
'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
History of the Governor-General
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. Read the full article
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
The 1920s
The 1920s was the decade that modern New Zealand came of age. Despite political and economic uncertainty, the country shrugged off the gloom of war to embrace the Jazz Age - an era of speed, power and glamour. Explore an overview of the decade and a year-by-year breakdown of key events. Read the full article
Page 3 - 1920 - key events
A selection of key New Zealand events from
Premiers and Prime Ministers
From Henry Sewell in 1856 to Chris Hipkins in 2023, New Zealand has had 41 prime ministers and premiers. Read biographies of the men and women who have held the top job, discover more about the role's political origins, and explore fascinating prime ministerial facts and trivia. Read the full article
Page 2 - Political origins
Overview of the influence of the British political system in New Zealand and our move toward self-government in the 19th
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II became New Zealand's monarch on 6 February 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI Read the full article
Page 1 - Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II became New Zealand's monarch on 6 February 1952, following the death of her father, King George
Page 2 - Constitutional and public ceremonial roles
The 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 Queen
Page 3 - Royal tours
About three out of every four New Zealanders saw the Queen as she visited 46 centres and attended 110 functions in
Page 4 - Māori and the Queen
Māori ‘were primarily concerned to express their loyalty to the Crown and to win acceptance as New Zealand citizens.’ They were just as enthusiastic about the tour as other New
Page 5 - Changing attitudes to monarchy
The post-war social consensus began to fray in the 1960s. More frequent visits by the Queen and other members of her family reduced some of the mystique. At the same time,
Main image: Māori and English Queens, 1974
Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu and her husband, Whatumoana Paki, welcome Queen Elizabeth to Turangawaewae marae, Ngaruawahia, in 1974
