Governor-General

Blog posts on the office of Governor-General

2011: the Irish elect a president, John Key appoints a GG

Posted 24 February, 2010 - 12:23 by LJ Holden
In 2011, for the seventh time since 1948, the citizens of Ireland will go to the polls to elect a new president. Meanwhile in New Zealand our new de facto head of state (the Governor-General) will be tapped on the shoulder by the Prime Minister, following a brief cabinet discussion (undocumented, of course) and perhaps a note to the leader of the opposition.

"If we focus too intently on the past, we risk walking into the future backwards"

Posted 6 February, 2010 - 16:46 by LJ Holden
Beautiful quote from the Governor-General's Speech at Ōnuku Marae, Akaroa. The same logic applies to a republic. Interestingly, the Queen's representative makes no mention of the Queen our the "promise" monarchy New Zealand water on about. The truth is the Queen hasn't even been to Waitangi, the birthplace of our nation, for 21 years. 

The Governor-General's New Year Message

Posted 1 January, 2010 - 10:51 by LJ Holden
The Governor-General has released his now annual New Year Message. It's very good, and far more relevant to New Zealanders than that other boring speech on Christmas Day:
2010 will be a significant year for New Zealand.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Her Excellency the Governor-General, Rt. Hon. Helen Clark

Posted 30 December, 2009 - 09:25 by LJ Holden
The rumour going around the Wellington circuit is that former Prime Minister Helen Clark is to be awarded New Zealand's top honour, the Order of New Zealand, in the New Year's Honours List. There are many who are greatly annoyed at this, while naturally there are many others who are greatly pleased by the rumour. It reminds me of the best response to anyone claiming a republic means a "President Helen Clark": we're far more likely, thanks to precedent, to have a Governor-General Helen Clark than a President Helen Clark.

The rumour shows again the need for greater independence in awarding honours. The Honours Secretariat should not be part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC); it should be part of the the head of states / Governor-General's office.

Canadian newspaper: select the Governor General

Posted 23 November, 2009 - 23:21 by LJ Holden
The Globe & Mail in Canada is proposing that an advisory council recommends the appointment of the Governor General of Canada to the Queen, not the Prime Minister:

Canada: Governor General "the real head of state"

Posted 10 October, 2009 - 15:01 by LJ Holden
Following from the Canadian Governor General's accidental assumption of the position of head of state, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's telling off of the Governor General, retired Liberal senator Laurier LaPierre has called for the

Canadian Governor General declares herself head of state

Posted 8 October, 2009 - 12:31 by LJ Holden
The Governor-General of Canada, Michaelle Jean, has created controversy in Canada after making a speech in which she refers to herself as "Canada's head of state", reports Canada.com. The Monarchist League of Canada is livid:

An insight into the appointment of GGs

Posted 29 September, 2009 - 12:26 by LJ Holden
The New Zealand Herald, reporting on the tangi (funeral) of Sir Howard Morrison has revealed this interesting tid-bit from Sir Howard's old friend Owen Glenn on the appointment of Governors-General:

Where's the Governor-General?

Posted 24 June, 2009 - 19:01 by LJ Holden
The Spanish King and Queen have been visiting New Zealand this week. The Prime Minister and several MPs of the Government and Opposition have met the King of Spain - but not the Governor-General.

The Governor-General's engagement diary for this week shows he's not up to much - in fact all of June he's not really up to much. Does anyone know why this is? It doesn't seem right the Queen's Representative in New Zealand didn't meet the King of Spain.

Solomon Islands elects its next Governor-General

Posted 15 June, 2009 - 13:30 by LJ Holden
parliament of the Solomon Islands
Parliament of the Solomon Islands.
The Solomon Times reports the Pacific nation is to elect its next Governor-General today. The next representative of the Queen in the Solomons will be the sixth elected since the country gained independence in 1978.

There are nine candidates for the job, including Sir Nathaniel Waena (the current Governor-General) and Sir Peter Kenilorea (speaker of the House). Each candidate is nominated by members of Parliament. Since the Solomons has no entrenched party system like more mature democracies, the election will be more competitive.

Solomon Islands to elect its next Governor-General

Posted 9 June, 2009 - 13:09 by LJ Holden
The Solomon Islands will elect its next Governor-General in the coming week, the Solomon Times reports.

A Constitutional Plus For John Key

Posted 2 June, 2009 - 14:57 by LJ Holden
Colin James writes in the Otago Daily Times (online at Colin's website) on Prime Minister John Key's constitutional record thus far. James suggests a way forward:
Who guards the constitution? Nominally that is the Governor-General. But in our constitution now the Governor-General is the cabinet's gopher.

The alternative -- with due respect to Her Majesty, whose birthday we deferentially commemorated yesterday -- is a head of state with a popular mandate who can occasionally pull on the reins when an impatient government departs from due process.

One option: elect the next Governor-General. That would be a constitutional plus for a Prime Minister who is accumulating constitutional minuses.
An option worth looking at.

Budget '09: Gov-Gen Still The Same Price As a Real Head of State

Posted 28 May, 2009 - 16:24 by LJ Holden
The Estimates of the 2009 Budget have revealed that the office of New Zealand's Governor-General has seen a small increase in its budgetary allocation - just 1.04%. The de facto head of State cost every New Zealander around $2.27 each.

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic of Ireland, a country with a parliamentary system of government and with a population roughly the same size as New Zealand, will cost Irish taxpayers around $8 million New Zealand dollars (see "President's Establishment" page 25 - converted at today's Euro - Dollar exchange rate) over the next year.

"Jim Bolger to become next Governor-General"

Posted 22 May, 2009 - 09:55 by LJ Holden
Friday satire: Will de Cleene blogs that Prime Minister John Key has appointed former Prime Minister Jim Bolger as Governor-General. It wouldn't be the first time an ex-Prime Minister has held the office:
"We haven't had an old white guy as Governor-General since [Sir] Keith Holyoake"
While Will writes satirically, he does raise an important point: the Governor-General is appointed de facto by the Prime Minister, with no say from the New Zealand's parliament or public.

Former Canadian Governor-General: MPs should vet candidates

Posted 19 April, 2009 - 16:14 by LJ Holden
Former Canadian Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson has suggested in an interview with the Globe and Mail that:
"Nominees for governor-general should be approved by Parliament, limited to a six-year term and be required to tell Canadians what their job is all about"
While her views are nothing new, Clarkson argues Canada's recent constitutional crisis reveals the lack of understanding of the office of Governor-General.
Referring to British constitutional philosopher Walter Bagehot's notion of the mystery of the Crown - and his famous injunction to not let "daylight in on magic" - Ms.
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