As patron of the Te Papa Foundation, Dame Patsy and Sir David were the first guest through the doors at Te Papa Tongarewa after being closed for the longest time in its 22 year history.
While many New Zealanders worked from home where possible during alert level 4 COVID-19 restrictions, some needed to leave their bubble to ensure a small bit of essential normality took place for our households.
Last night's dinner for officials leading New Zealand's response to COVID-19 was an opportunity to test out Government House's hospitality protocols under Level Two.
On this AIDS Candlelight Memorial day, the COVID-19 virus is obliging us to gather in a virtual space and reflect on the terrible toll of the HIV virus, which has been responsible for over 30 million deaths worldwide since the 1980s.
Dame Patsy is patron of a wide range of charities and organisations. She has recently sent them letters of support, acknowledging that they are working in testing times and have had to adapt how they work in our communities.
Like other New Zealanders, Dame Patsy and Sir David were unable to attend public commemorations to mark Anzac Day 2020, due to the restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like other New Zealanders, we are doing everything we can to support measures that will help contain COVID-19.
My constitutional duties will continue, but all community engagements and events in my programme have been postponed.
This morning, Dame Patsy and Sir David were delighted to shine a spotlight on some of the good people who open up their homes as foster carers to children who are neglected or abused.
How can we help society be more cohesive? How can we strengthen personal resilience to deal with rapid change? How can we make good decisions about our adoption of new technologies?
The Aotearoa Circle is attracting increasing numbers of leaders in the public and private sector who recognise the urgent need to address the wellbeing of our natural resources, while finding ways to pursue sustainable prosperity.
Today, Dame Patsy and Sir David watched the Governor-General’s XI versus the NZ Māori Schoolboys and Schoolgirls at the Karori Cricket Club in Wellington. This is the second year the Governor-General’s XI has played the NZ Māori Schoolboys.
Dame Patsy hosted a networking reception for SheEO at Government House in Auckland. SheEO is a women-led inititative that raises investment capital and distributes it to women-led businesses in the form of interest-free loans.