Management of Government House

Government House is managed by a small management team headed by the Official Secretary.  The Official Secretary is a member of Senior Management Group of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and reports to the Clerk of the Executive Council.

The Official Secretary is Niels Holm.  A career diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Holm is a  previous Ambassador to Iran, and was New Zealand's High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea prior to joining Government House on a three-year secondment. As Official Secretary, Mr Holm is responsible for policy development, risk management and the strategic direction of the Governor-General's programme. The Official Secretary's team includes two Aides-de-Camp, the Executive Assistant to the Governor-General/Official Secretary and the Personal Assistant to Her Excellency. The Official Secretary is also line manager for the Deputy Official Secretary and the Public Affairs Manager.

The Deputy Official Secretary is Alec McLean QSO. Mr McLean has had an extensive career in government and prior to his appointment at Government House was Principal Private Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister. As Deputy Official Secretary, Mr McLean heads the Programme Team, which includes two Programme Advisers, the Functions Co-ordinator, a Programme Administrator and the Chauffeur. He is also line manager for the Household Manager and the Operations Manager. The Programme Team is responsible for the organisation of Their Excellencies' programme of ceremonial and community events within Government House and elsewhere in New Zealand and overseas.

The Household Manager is Franziska (Fran) Zahnd. She has had a wide ranging career in hospitality, including as Food and Beverage Manager at the Intercontinental Hotel Wellington and Catering Manager at Parliament House Canberra. Ms Zahnd heads the Household Team which includes the Head Chef, Sous Chef and Commis Chef, Principal Attendants, the Chef/Custodian (Auckland) and the Principal Attendant (Auckland). The Household Team is responsible for catering, service, set up and cleaning at Government House events as well as meeting Their Excellencies' needs.

The Operations Manager is Simon Hart. Prior to joining Government House he was Venue Manager at Wellington's TSB Bank Arena. Mr Hart heads the Operations Team, which includes two Team Administrators. This team, which is responsible for day-to-day administration at Government House, works closely with the Corporate Services Team at DPMC. The Operations Manager is also responsible for the asset management and building maintenance and control systems and plans.

The Public Affairs Manager is Antony Paltridge. Prior to joining Government House, Mr Paltridge was Senior Communications Adviser at Victoria University and a Senior Reporter on The Evening Post. The Public Affairs Team, which includes the Assistant Public Affairs Adviser, prepare speeches for Their Excellencies, press releases and other written material as well as responding to media inquiries, overseeing Government House publications and maintaining the Governor-General's website.