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Last night Dame Cindy and Dr Davies hosted a reception for the Governor-General of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley and Mrs Linda Hurley. Guests represented a range of sectors, including defence, government, business, tourism…

Dame Cindy and Dr Davies were joined by Gen Hon David Hurley Mrs Linda Hurley for a very special day on Rotoroa Island yesterday, where they released Cove the 17-day-old Coromandel Brown Kiwi. Rotoroa Island Trust works with  Save the Kiwi on this bird…

Last night at Government House Wellington, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies hosted a State Dinner for His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), the Governor-General of Australia, and Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley.   During her address to…

This morning, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies accompanied His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), the Governor-General of Australia, and Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley to Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington.   Their…

This afternoon, with the autumn sun shining down on Government House Wellington's North Lawn, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies hosted a State Welcome Ceremony for His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), the Governor-General of Australia…

Yesterday at the Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Temple in Island Bay, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies took part in a very special celebration of the Cambodian New Year. Their Excellencies enjoyed the wonderful array of food prepared by members of the community,…

Children from Newtown School were our guests of honour at this morning's launch of a children's book "The Wolf and the Hocus Pocus", the latest publication in the "Feel Brave" series of books written by Avril McDonald. The series focusses on helping…

This morning at Government House Wellington, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies welcomed three new diplomatic heads of mission to their postings in Aotearoa New Zealand: HE Mr Sakias Tameo, High Commissioner of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea; HE Mr…

As Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force, this evening Dame Cindy and Dr Davies hosted the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps at Government House to commemorate their annual Corps Day. This was a chance to acknowledge the role nurses have played in the New…

This morning, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies were delighted to welcome the Ulu-o-Tokelau, the Honourable Alapati Tavite, and Ministers from the General Fono to Government House. The Ulu-o-Tokelau rotates annually between the elected Faipule (village leaders) of…

This evening at Government House Wellington, Dame Cindy hosted a reception to acknowledge all those who have made the recent Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts such a great success. Over the past four weeks, the Festival has brought together an…

On Friday night Dame Cindy hosted a centennial dinner for members of Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, as well as supporters and funders. Dame Cindy acknowledged the role Forest and Bird has played in raising awareness about threats…

Yesterday at the Canterbury Club in Christchurch, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies attended a luncheon hosted by the Christchurch Business Club. The Club was originally founded in 1931, and serves as a place for Christchurch's business leaders to build…

This morning in beautiful autumnal Christchurch, Dame Cindy hosted the first of two investiture ceremonies, presenting insignia to recipients of Royal New Zealand Honours. Among those acknowledged was Dr Vanessa Beavis, who received the insignia of a…

Dame Cindy hosted a further investiture ceremony this afternoon at the Christchurch Town Hall, acknowledging the service and achievements of eleven outstanding New Zealanders. Emeritus Professor Alison Cree received the insignia of a Companion of the New…

Last night at Government House Auckland, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies hosted a very special celebration of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's 80th birthday. Dame Kiri had an extraordinary career as one of the world's most acclaimed opera singers, and continues to give…

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth, Dame Cindy was joined by members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Royal Commonwealth Society, and members of the Interfaith Community for the annual Commonwealth Day celebrations at Parliament. Dame Cindy read…

2024 commemorates the 80 th anniversary of D-Day, where 156,000 allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy and liberated German-occupied France, which was one of the major turning points in WWII. To remember the New Zealand Merchant Navy’s role in…

Today Dame Cindy chose to celebrate International Women's Day with women who are involved in food rescue work in Tamaki Makaurau. Dame Cindy honoured staff, supporters, suppliers and funders of Fair Food, which recovers surplus fresh food from growers,…

As we mark Caregiver Awareness Week, Dame Cindy had the pleasure of hosting the 2024 Caring Families Aotearoa Excellence in Foster Care Awards this afternoon at Government House Wellington. These awards recognise those who go above and beyond to care for…

For the past 50 years, youth training ships the Spirit of Adventure, and later the Spirit of New Zealand, have been providing Aotearoa’s rangatahi a unique space to challenge themselves at sea. As patron of the Spirit of Adventure Trust, Dame Cindy was…

Yesterday afternoon Dr Davies welcomed members of the Diplomatic Corps Spouses Association for an afternoon tea at Government House. It was a chance to acknowledge their role in supporting their partners who are heads or deputy heads of diplomatic…

As Patron of the Halberg Foundation, Dame Cindy had the pleasure to present the Supreme Award to Dame Lisa Carrington at last night’s ISPS Handa Halberg Awards. Dame Lisa has now won the Supreme Award three times, reflecting her truly outstanding career…

Yesterday, Dame Cindy visited the University of Auckland’s Ngā Ara Whetū/Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society, to award the winner of the Centre’s ‘Reimagine our World' competition. The winning entry by Marco de Krester, imagined a world in 2050…

This morning the Speaker of the House came to Government House to present the Address in Reply to the Governor-General. The Address in Reply is the House of Representatives' thanks to the Governor-General for delivering the Speech from the Throne, which…

This morning, as dawn broke over the beautiful Bay of Islands, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies joined the thousands in attendance at Te Whare Rūnanga for the Waitangi Day Dawn Service. Attendees joined together in song, contemplation and prayer, as Aotearoa New…

In Dame Cindy's final Waitangi Day engagement for this year, Her Excellency hosted the Diplomatic Corps for a very special luncheon in the Tahuaroa Function Centre on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The luncheon included moving reflections on the past week…

This evening Dame Cindy reviewed a hundred-person Royal Guard of Honour at the RNZN Beat Retreat and Sunset Ceremony at Waitangi's Treaty Grounds. Beat Retreat has been a long-standing tradition at the annual commemorations at Waitangi. The lowering of…

Following Beat Retreat, Dame Cindy joined the Waitangi National Trust for their Commemoration Dinner. The Waitangi National Trust act as guardians of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, and Her Excellency was pleased to acknowledge the trust and staff for their…

This morning, Dame Cindy was welcomed back onto the Waitangi Treaty Grounds with a very special mihi whakatau in the presence of Te Whare Rūnanga. Dame Cindy was supported by her kaumātua Mr Joe Harawira, who spoke beautifully on Her Excellency's behalf,…

This evening Dame Cindy shared korero, waiata and kai with representatives of the National Iwi Chairs Forum at Waitangi's historic Treaty Grounds. It was a time for Dame Cindy to catch up with Iwi leaders from across Aotearoa, and hear about their plans…

This morning at Government House Auckland, four new diplomatic heads of mission presented their credentials to Dame Cindy. Welcome to HE Mr George Azer Saleeb Tadros, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt; HE Mr Lawrence Meredith, Ambassador of the…