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Sir Denis was born in 1907 in Wellington. He was educated at Waitaki Boys High School and Cambridge University before being called to the Bar in England in 1929. He returned to New Zealand in 1930, practising as barrister and solicitor in Wellington. He…

Sir Arthur was the first New Zealand-born Governor-General. He was born in Wanganui in 1900 and was educated at Wanganui Collegiate, before moving to Otago University and Magadalen College, Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He followed his father…

Born in 1893, Sir Charles Willoughby Moke Norrie was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. He became a regular soldier and served in both World Wars. In 1943, he rose to the rank of Commander of the Royal Armoured Corps. He was Governor of South Australia for…

Born in 1886, Sir Cyril was a member of the regular army before joining the Royal Flying Corps in 1914. He transferred to the RAF in 1919 and served with the Air Force between wars. He was Chief of Air Staff 1937-40 and Marshal of the RAF in 1940, before…

Sir George Vere Arundell Monckton-Arundell Galway, 8th Viscount, was born in 1882. He was educated at Eton and Oxford. Sir George failed in a Parliamentary bid in 1910. He joined the Life Guards and in the First World War  he became Adjutant-General and…

Sir John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Viscount, was born in 1859. A noted naval figure, he entered the Royal Navy as cadet in 1872 and eventually rose to command Britain's Grand Fleet from 1914 to 1916. He was appointed First Sea Lord, Chief of Naval Staff and…

Term Role 1912 - 1917 Governor of New Zealand 1917 - 1920 Governor-General of New Zealand Born in 1870, Sir Arthur William de Brito Savile Foljambe Liverpool, 2nd Earl, had the distinction of being New Zealand's last Governor and first Governor-General.…

Born in 1866, Sir John Poynder Dickson-Poynder Islington, 1st Baron, succeeded his great uncle as Baronet in 1884. He sat in Parliament 1892-1900 for the Conservatives and the Liberals. He served as ADC to Lord Methuen in the Boer War, winning the DSO as…

The nephew of the 3rd Earl and son of the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire, Sir David Boyle Glasgow was born in 1833. He was on active service with the Royal Navy during the Crimean War 1854-55 and the Chinese War in 1857. He was Commander of HMS Niobe…

Born in 1824, Sir Hercules was a Sandhurst graduate. He became 1st Lt of the 87th Regiment in 1844 but resigned his commission in 1846. He became President of Montserrat in 1854 and subsequently held several governorships before taking up the position in…

Sir George Augustus Constantine Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby, was born in 1819, the only son of the 1st Marquess who had been successively Governor of Jamaica, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Colonial Secretary and Home Secretary. He entered Parliament in…

Born in 1832, Sir James was educated in Rugby and Oxford. He served with the Grenadier Guards in the Crimea, was wounded at Inkerman and later succeeded a friend, who was killed in the same action, as Conservative MP for Ayrshire. He was under-secretary…

Sir Charles was the son of Sir James Fergusson, former Governor of New Zealand, and was born in 1865. Sir Charles was educated at Eton and Sandhurst before joining the Grenadier Guards. He served in the Sudan campaigns under Kitchener. He was Adjutant-…

Born in 1911, Sir Bernard was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. He served with distinction in the Second World War - as Brigade Major 46th Infantry in 1940; in the Middle East in 1941; General Staff Officer, Wingate's Chindits (1943-44); and Director of…

Sir Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, was born in 1909 and educated at Eton and Cambridge, graduating with a law degree in 1932. He joined the 100th Field Brigade in 1933 and served in France before Dunkirk. He commanded the 5th Regiment from…

Sir Charles Bathurst Bledisloe, 1st Viscount, was born in 1867 and educated at Eton and Oxford. He was a lawyer for 16 years before becoming an MP in 1910. He was Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Food in 1916, and Chairman of the Royal…

Born in 1853, Sir William Hillier Onslow, Bt. 4th Earl, was educated at Eton and Oxford. He inherited his title in 1874. He was Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria, Under-secretary of State for the Colonies, Vice-president of the Colonial Conference 1887…

Born in 1821, Sir William was regular army, commanding Woolich, Chatham, and Alderney from 1849 to 1854 and Royal Engineers London Military District in 1855. Sir William was appointed assistant Inspector-General of Fortifications at the War Office in 1856…

Born in 1821, Sir George graduated with an MA from Oxford in 1847. He became President of the University of Corfu in 1847, a position he held for four years. He was appointed as Governor of New Zealand having served as the first Governor of Queensland. …

Sir Thomas was born in 1807 and entered the army as ensign in 1824. He rose to Captain in 1829 and then to Major in 1834. He served in the 1st Afghan War as a Major in the 41st Regiment, covering the retreat of Sir John England's force. He was made Lt-…

  Role Term Governor 1845 - 1847 Governor-in-Chief 1848 - 1853 Governor of New Zealand 1853 - 1853 1861 - 1868 Sir George is the only man to have served serve two terms as Vice-regal representative: 1845-1853 and 1861-1868. Sir George was born in Lisbon…

Governor-General Act Governor-General Act The remuneration and funding for the programme of the Governor-General is governed by the Governor-General Act 2010. The then Governor-General, The Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, gave royal assent to the Governor-…

Sir Bernard and Lady Freyberg at Government House Sir Bernard and Lady Freyberg at Government House An essay on Queen Elizabeth's reign by the late Gavin McLean, former Senior Historian with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. On 11 February 1952 New…

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. David and I are sad that…

  As a consequence of the Alert Level 4 restrictions announced today by the Prime Minister in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Dame Patsy’s public engagements have been cancelled. Her programme will be re-evaluated when the lockdown has been…

Dame Patsy shares her thoughts on the current situation with Covid-19. Here are the links she refers to in the video: Unite against Covid-19 site Ministry of Health website Dr Siouxsie Wiles article on stopping the spread Dr Siouxsie Wiles article on…

All tours of Government House Wellington and Auckland are postponed until at least 14 April, 2020, when the tour programme will be reviewed again. If you have queries about tours later in the year, please email the Visitor Centre team bookings@govthouse.…

  Image of Dame Patsy with all the Returning Officers E nga kaiwhakahaere o nga kowhiringa pooti a Iwi Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa He tau nui tenei mo koutou, he tau nui hoki mo te motu. Kia maia, kia manawanui,  kia kaha. I’m delighted to…

Dame Patsy spoke at a training session for the Returning Officers and Registrars of Electors taking part in this year's General Elections.  Dame Patsy spoke about the Governor-General's role in New Zealand's democratic system and where it sits in the…

E te reo karanga- Ngai Tahu. Mihi mai, whakatau mai. Kei nga karangatanga maha. Kei nga iwi katoa, e hui nei “He maungarongo ki te whenua, e whakaaro pai ki nga tangata katoa”. Tēnā tātou e noho ngātahi, nei i raro i te korowai o te aroha me te rangimarie…