The following is a list of the governors and governors-general of New Zealand. As the personal representative of the New Zealand monarch, the governor-general performs many of the functions vested in the Crown, such as summoning and dissolving Parliament, granting or withholding the Royal Assent, making state visits, and receiving ambassadors. These functions are performed on the advice of the head of government, the prime minister.
From William Hobson's appointment in 1841, a total of 37 individuals have served as governor, governor-in-chief (1848–1853), or governor-general (since 1917). Sir Arthur Porritt was the first New Zealand-born governor-general, although he had been living in Britain for 31 years at the time of his appointment. All governors-general since Sir Denis Blundell in 1972 have been New Zealand residents and, with the exception of Sir David Beattie, New Zealand-born. The list does not include lieutenant-governors of the provinces of New Ulster and New Munster that existed between 1848 and 1853. The table also does not include administrators of the government, who fulfil viceregal duties between the terms of governors-general, or at other times when the governor-general is overseas or otherwise unable to carry out the role. The role of administrator is normally undertaken by the chief justice.
Governors-general have been appointed under letters patent issued in 1917 and the current letters patent issued in 1983.[1]
Historically, governors and governors-general were generally British aristocrats, a reflection of colonial-era affiliations. From the 1970s onward, however, a significant shift occurred, aligning with a more inclusive approach that mirrored New Zealand's diverse population. All governors-general since 1972 have been New Zealand residents. Sir Paul Reeves, in office from 1985 to 1990, was the first Māori governor-general. Dame Catherine Tizard, who served from 1990 to 1996, was the first female governor-general. Sir Anand Satyanand, who held the position from 2006 to 2011, was the first governor-general of Indian and of Pasifika ancestry. Governors-general have had a range of backgrounds, encompassing judges, a mayor, archbishop, surgeon, diplomat, general, farmer, and prime minister.[2]
| As lieutenant-governor | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | 1 | William Hobson | 30 January 1840 | 3 May 1841 | Victoria | None | ||||
| As governor | ||||||||||
| align=center | 1 | William Hobson | 3 May 1841 | 10 September 1842 | Victoria | None | ||||
| align=center | 2 | Robert FitzRoy | 26 December 1843 | 17 November 1845 | ||||||
| align=center | 3 | Sir George Grey | 18 November 1845 | 31 December 1853 | ||||||
| align=center rowspan=5 | 4 | Thomas Gore Browne | 6 September 1855 | 2 October 1861 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| Henry Sewell | ||||||||||
| William Fox | ||||||||||
| Edward Stafford | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' valign=top | William Fox | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=5 | (3) | Sir George Grey | 4 December 1861 | 5 February 1868 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' valign=top | |||||
| Alfred Domett | ||||||||||
| Frederick Whitaker | ||||||||||
| Frederick Weld | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' valign=top | Edward Stafford | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=5 | 5 | Sir George Ferguson Bowen | 5 February 1868 | 19 March 1873 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| William Fox | ||||||||||
| Edward Stafford | ||||||||||
| George Waterhouse | ||||||||||
| William Fox | ||||||||||
| align=center | 6 | Sir James Fergusson | 14 June 1873 | 3 December 1874 | style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | Julius Vogel | ||||
| align=center rowspan=5 | 7 | George Phipps, Marquess of Normanby | 9 January 1875 | 21 February 1879 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| Daniel Pollen | ||||||||||
| Julius Vogel | ||||||||||
| Harry Atkinson | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | George Grey | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 8 | Sir Hercules Robinson | 17 April 1879 | 8 September 1880 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | John Hall | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 9 | Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon | 29 November 1880 | 23 June 1882 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | Frederick Whitaker | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=6 | 10 | Sir William Jervois | 20 January 1883 | 22 March 1889 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| Harry Atkinson | ||||||||||
| Robert Stout | ||||||||||
| Harry Atkinson | ||||||||||
| Robert Stout | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | Harry Atkinson | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 11 | William Onslow, Earl of Onslow | 2 May 1889 | 24 February 1892 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | John Ballance | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 12 | David Boyle, Earl of Glasgow | 7 June 1892 | 6 February 1897 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 13 | Uchter Knox, Earl of Ranfurly | 10 August 1897 | 19 June 1904 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | Richard Seddon | ||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' valign=bottom | Edward VII | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=4 | 14 | William Plunket, Lord Plunket | 20 June 1904 | 8 June 1910 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| William Hall-Jones | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | Joseph Ward | ||||||||
| align=center rowspan=3 | 15 | John Dickson-Poynder, Lord Islington | 22 June 1910 | 2 December 1912 | George V | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | ||||
| Thomas Mackenzie | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center | 16 | Arthur Foljambe, Earl of Liverpool | 19 December 1912 | 27 June 1917 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' valign=top | William Massey | |||
| As governor-general | ||||||||||
| align=center | 1 | Arthur Foljambe, Earl of Liverpool | 28 June 1917 | 7 July 1920 | George V | William Massey | ||||
| align=center | 2 | John Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe | 27 September 1920 | 26 November 1924 | ||||||
| align=center rowspan=4 | 3 | Sir Charles Fergusson | 13 December 1924 | 8 February 1930 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| Francis Bell | ||||||||||
| Gordon Coates | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | Joseph Ward | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 4 | Charles Bathurst, Lord Bledisloe | 19 March 1930 | 15 March 1935 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | George Forbes | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=5 | 5 | George Monckton-Arundell, Viscount Galway | 12 April 1935 | 3 February 1941 | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | ||||
| style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | Michael Joseph Savage | |||||||||
| Edward VIII | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center | 6 | Sir Cyril Newall | 22 February 1941 | 19 April 1946 | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | Peter Fraser | |||
| align=center rowspan=3 | 7 | Bernard Freyberg, Lord Freyberg | 17 June 1946 | 15 August 1952 | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | ||||
| style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | |||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | |||||||||
| align=center | 8 | Sir Willoughby Norrie | 2 December 1952 | 25 July 1957 | Elizabeth II | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' valign=top | Sidney Holland | |||
| align=center rowspan=4 | 9 | Charles Lyttelton, Viscount Cobham | 5 September 1957 | 13 September 1962 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| Keith Holyoake | ||||||||||
| Walter Nash | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center | 10 | Sir Bernard Fergusson | 9 November 1962 | 20 October 1967 | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | Keith Holyoake | ||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 11 | Sir Arthur Porritt | 1 December 1967 | 6 September 1972 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | Jack Marshall | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=4 | 12 | Sir Denis Blundell | 27 September 1972 | 5 October 1977 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| Norman Kirk | ||||||||||
| Bill Rowling | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center | 13 | Sir Keith Holyoake | 26 October 1977 | 23 October 1980 | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | Robert Muldoon | ||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 14 | Sir David Beattie | 6 November 1980 | 10 November 1985 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | David Lange | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=4 | 15 | Sir Paul Reeves | 20 November 1985 | 29 November 1990 | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||
| Geoffrey Palmer | ||||||||||
| Mike Moore | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center | 16 | Dame Catherine Tizard | 12 December 1990 | 3 March 1996 | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | Jim Bolger | ||||
| align=center rowspan=3 | 17 | Sir Michael Hardie Boys | 21 March 1996 | 21 March 2001 | 5 years | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | ||||
| Jenny Shipley | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center | 18 | Dame Silvia Cartwright | 4 April 2001 | 4 August 2006 | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | Helen Clark | ||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 19 | Sir Anand Satyanand | 23 August 2006 | 23 August 2011 | 5 years | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | ||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center | 20 | Sir Jerry Mateparae | 31 August 2011 | 31 August 2016 | 5 years | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | John Key | |||
| align=center rowspan=3 | 21 | Dame Patsy Reddy | 28 September 2016 | 28 September 2021 | 5 years | style='border-style: none solid none solid;' | ||||
| Bill English | ||||||||||
| style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' | ||||||||||
| align=center rowspan=4 | 22 | Dame Cindy Kiro | 21 October 2021 | Incumbent | style='border-style: none solid none solid ;' | Jacinda Ardern | ||||
| Charles III | style='border-style: none solid solid solid;' | |||||||||
| Chris Hipkins | ||||||||||
| Christopher Luxon |