Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars Orientation Weekend

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning (Sign).

May I specifically greet you:, Brian Lynch, Chair of the Rotary District 9940 Ambassadorial Scholarship Committee and your fellow Committee members, Chairs from other district Ambassadorial Scholarship Committees; Beverley Wakem, Chief Ombudsman, Rotarian and former Ambassadorial Scholar; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ambassadorial Scholars; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for the invitation to address this year’s Ambassadorial Scholars Orientation Weekend and thank you for the invitation to my wife Susan and I to spend a little time with you on your programme.

As someone with a number of associations with Rotary in New Zealand, it is a particular pleasure to be here at such a gathering.  I was until my appointment as Governor-General in August 2006, a regular footsoldier member of the Rotary Club of Wellington and I am pleased to remain an honorary member. 

I have been asked to provide an input that may be interesting to both the New Zealanders and overseas attendees, and because one of my abiding interests is that of civics knowledge and its acquisition I have thought that some kind of helicopter view of my role in New Zealand’s system of government might fit the bill.

I see from the manifest that the overseas people hail from the United States, South Africa, Germany and Japan, so that a diverse range of governmental systems are represented here this morning.  I understand that the New Zealanders are about to depart to undertake their scholarships overseas, so what is said may be useful as part of the preparation that is regular for people going away from here in any kind of representational capacity.

The first point to note is that New Zealand, like Japan, is a monarchy.  Unlike the other nations represented here that are republics, where the Head of State is either directly or indirectly elected, in New Zealand the Head of State role is inherited.  Our Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II, became Queen of New Zealand when her father, King George VI, died in 1952.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, however, after consulting with the Leader of the Opposition, recommends to the Queen who should be appointed to be her personal representative in New Zealand.

You will note that I used the term “Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of New Zealand,” for while this country has the same person as Head of State as the United Kingdom, and for that matter several other countries around the world, that does not mean New Zealand is not an independent state.

However, unlike countries such as the United States, for example, where there is a distinct date on which they ceased to be colonies and became independent nations, in New Zealand the process was far more gradual.  New Zealand formally became an independent nation in 1947 when it passed a law that meant the British Parliament could no longer legislate for New Zealand without its request and consent.  But the reality is that New Zealand had acquired many of the characteristics of an independent nation—such as that of signing international treaties on its own behalf—many years earlier.

The next point about New Zealand’s system of government is that it is a constitutional monarchy.  Unlike mediaeval rulers, I am not above the law. If I receive a parking ticket or am late in returning library books, it is expected that I will pay up just like everyone else!  The Governor-General carries out responsibilities according to the law and many long-standing traditions known as “conventions.”  

The third point is that New Zealand is a democracy.  Under our electoral system, New Zealanders have two votes—one for constituency MP and another for the preferred political party in the mind of the voter.  It is a form of proportional representation modelled on that used in Germany.

Until 1996, New Zealand used the first-past-the-post electoral system which almost always ensured that one party had a majority of the seats in Parliament.  With New Zealand changing to proportional representation—where the number of votes each party receives more closely matches the number of seats in Parliament—no single party has to date won more than half the seats, so that some form of coalition arrangement has had to be forged by the party with the most seats.

The person whom the Governor-General appoints as Prime Minister is the person who can demonstrate to me that he or she has the support of a party, or group of parties, that commands a majority in Parliament.  Unlike many other nations, our Parliament is unicameral—in that there is only one House of Representatives.  New Zealand abolished its upper house in 1951.

The Prime Minister—as the political leader of the country—heads the group of people that the Governor-General appoints to be Ministers and who form the Cabinet.  The Prime Minister and the Government make all the policy decisions about what happens in New Zealand.  It is their job to ensure our roads are in good condition, that there are enough doctors in our public hospitals and that there are sufficient teachers in our public schools.  Politically, the Governor-General does not take any active role in the executive functions of the Government.  It is often said that while the Monarch reigns, the Government rules.

To explain this, I will outline the three main parts to my role as Governor-General. The first is the constitutional.  It is the Governor-General’s role to ensure there is always a government in office with a democratic mandate to govern.  When Parliament passes laws and when the Government appoints a judge or a diplomat, the Governor-General is called on to consider and sign it into effect.

Another constitutional role performed is presiding over meetings of the Executive Council, where Ministers present regulations that require the Governor-General signature before they can come into effect.  The Governor-General is also Commander-in-Chief of New Zealand’s defence force, although again, no active role is played.  The commissions of every officer in the Navy, Army or Air Force are signed by the Governor-General and the Minister of Defence.

In undertaking these constitutional duties, the Governor-General must act on the advice of the Ministers who have the support of the House of Representatives.  Even so, I have the right to be consulted, and the opportunity to encourage and to warn.  I regularly speak to the Prime Minister about a wide range of issues and information is provided to me by Ministers when I request it.

In exceptional cases, the Governor-General can exercise what are known as the “reserve powers.”   These powers allow me to act without Ministerial advice or even against it.  Those powers—to refuse to call an election or to force an election or to refuse to sign a law—are used in the most extreme situations.  Apart from the appointment of a Prime Minister—which inherently involves the use of the reserve powers—no New Zealand Governor-General has thankfully ever needed to use them.

When New Zealand adopted proportional representation, with the much higher likelihood of coalition governments, there was some suggestion that the Governor-General would be called upon to become more involved in the formation of governments.  This has not proven to be the case.  The formation of governments is a political decision and while there have been political crises, there have been no constitutional crises.  In essence, the politicians have sorted out the issues that have divided them.

The second role is ceremonial.  In many ways this links to the first role.  This means I represent all New Zealanders at public ceremonies such as opening new sessions of Parliament, welcoming visiting Heads of State and attending and addressing major commemorative days which include Waitangi Day—which marks the day in 1840 when my predecessor Lt Governor William Hobson and many Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi—and, most recently, Anzac Day, which commemorates the sacrifice of New Zealanders who have fought and died in the service of their country.

I also hold investiture ceremonies where New Zealand honours are conferred. These ceremonies are an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of New Zealanders in fields as diverse as sport, science, business, education, the law, and public and community service.  Over the past week I have had the pleasant duty of presenting the insignia, decorations and medals to many great New Zealanders, including conferring what is known as the “accolade of knighthood” upon Sir Peter Jackson.

The third part of my role is providing community leadership and it is the part of the task that takes most time and very actively engages the time of my wife Susan.  This role sees travel throughout New Zealand visiting schools and universities, opening functions, launching appeals and attending special events such as anniversaries. For example, in some 10 days my wife Susan and I will undertake a regional visit to Nelson.

This is a part of the role that I particularly enjoy as it provides me with the opportunity to meet New Zealanders, undertaking work in a variety of endeavours, who make this country so special and to share that with my wife.  In my previous careers, as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman, I was often involved in resolving inherently negative matters.  As Governor-General, I am privileged to see New Zealand and New Zealanders at their best.

By visiting throughout New Zealand and its territories, attending and speaking at community events, and also by providing patronage to various community organisations, I am able to highlight key issues.  I have urged New Zealanders to embrace the increasing diversity of their society as well as the challenge of us all to move beyond our households and engage with wider communities, organisations and institutions.  I have also tried to emphasise the importance to understand civics—the rights and responsibilities that come with being a New Zealand citizen.

Governors-General have increasingly represented New Zealand and New Zealanders overseas at major international events. Most recently I was asked to attend the State Funeral for the Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynska who were tragically killed in an aircraft accident. Due to the volcanic ash cloud hampering travel to and from Europe for hundreds of thousands of travellers, however, my journey went no further than New York where it became clear that reaching Poland was not a possibility.  

The role of Governor-General has evolved as New Zealand has evolved into an independent nation.  There was a time when ambassadors to New Zealand from other countries would travel to London to present their credentials to the Queen in London.  Now they present their credentials to the New Zealand Governor-General based in Wellington.  Likewise, there was a time the British Prime Minister effectively decided who the next Governor-General of New Zealand would be. Now it is New Zealand’s Prime Minister who makes the recommendation to The Queen. 

New Zealand’s Governors-General were once members of the British aristocracy or retired military officers.  Since 1967, all Governors-General have been born in New Zealand and they have come from a variety of backgrounds.  Including myself, four have been former judges, one was a mayor, another a Prime Minister, another an Archbishop, another a diplomat and one was a surgeon.  One of those Governors-General was from New Zealand indigenous people, the Māori people, and two were women. Indeed, in 1999, New Zealand had the rare distinction of being probably the only country in the world where the Head of State, the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice and the Attorney-General, were all women, which is not perhaps surprising given that New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote.

I trust then that, in this short discursive survey I have given you a sense of the role of the Governor-General and its place in New Zealand’s system of government.  I shall be happy to answer any questions you may have and just before they are solicited, I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours.    

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.