| Post: | Spouse of the Prime Minister of New Zealand |
| Incumbent: | Amanda Luxon |
| Incumbentsince: | 27 November 2023 |
| Formation: | 7 May 1856 |
| Inaugural: | Elizabeth Kittoe |
The spouse of the prime minister of New Zealand is the wife or husband of the New Zealand prime minister. The position is known as the partner of the prime minister of New Zealand when the prime minister is unmarried but is in a relationship. They are the hostess or host of Premier House. It is not an official office and, as such, they are not given a salary or official duties. When Henry Sewell became the country's first premier in 1856, his wife, Elizabeth Kittoe, became the first spouse to fill the role. The first husband to the prime minister was Burton Shipley, Jenny Shipley's husband, in 1997. The 23rd prime minister, Michael Joseph Savage, was a bachelor during his term, and prime minister Jacinda Ardern was in an unmarried relationship with Clarke Gayford during her tenure from 2017 to 2023. The current prime minister, Christopher Luxon, is married to Amanda Luxon.
The current spouse of the prime minister of New Zealand is Amanda Luxon, as her husband became prime minister on 27 November 2023.[1]
The prime minister's spouse has no official duties. Some earlier spouses stayed mainly at home and took little part in public life.
However, most recent prime ministers' spouses have been involved in charities or community organisations, working to raise public awareness, funds, and support for a range of causes. They generally assist their partners in political campaigns, and participate in official duties that come with the position, such as hosting foreign dignitaries, and, in particular, entertaining the spouses of dignitaries; accompanying the prime minister on national and international trips; and attending conferences and functions. They have attended the opening of Parliament; hosted visitors at Premier House; visited Buckingham Palace, the White House, or the Japanese Imperial Palace; and been present at royal coronations and conferences.
Some prime ministers' spouses have received official recognition for their services to the community with a damehood:
Muldoon was the first spouse of a prime minister to be provided with an official secretary for dealing with her correspondence.[2]
| No. | Portrait | Spouse | Tenure | Length of tenure | Prime Minister |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elizabeth Sewell (née Kittoe) – 1880 (aged 61) | 7 May 1856 – 20 May 1856 | Sewell | ||
| 2 | Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) – 23 June 1892 (aged 76) | 20 May 1856 – 2 June 1856 | Fox | ||
| 3 | Emily Stafford (née Charlotte) | 2 June 1856 – 18 April 1857† | Stafford | ||
| Vacant | 18 April 1857 – 5 December 1859 | Stafford | |||
| 4 | Mary Stafford (Lady Stafford) (née Bartley) | 5 December 1859 – 12 July 1861 | Stafford | ||
| (2) | Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) | 12 July 1861 – 6 August 1862 | Fox | ||
| 5 | Mary Domett (née George) | 6 August 1862 – 30 October 1863 | Domett | ||
| 6 | Jane Augusta Whitaker (Lady Whitaker) (née Griffith) | 30 October 1863 – 24 November 1864 | Whitaker | ||
| 7 | Filumena Mary Anne Weld (Lady Weld) (née Lisle Phillipps) | 24 November 1864 – 16 October 1865 | Weld | ||
| (4) | Mary Stafford (Lady Stafford) (née Bartley) | 16 October 1865 – 28 June 1869 | Stafford | ||
| (2) | Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) | 28 June 1869 – 10 September 1872 | Fox | ||
| (4) | Mary Stafford (Lady Stafford) (née Bartley) | 10 September 1872 – 11 October 1872 | Stafford | ||
| 8 | Lydia Waterhouse (née Giles) | 11 October 1872 – 3 March 1873 | Waterhouse | ||
| (2) | Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) | 3 March 1873 – 8 April 1873 | Fox | ||
| 9 | Mary Vogel (Lady Vogel) (née Clayton) | 8 April 1873 – 6 July 1875 | Vogel | ||
| 10 | Jane Pollen (née Henderson) | 6 July 1875 – 15 February 1876 | Pollen | ||
| (9) | Mary Vogel (Lady Vogel) (née Clayton) | 15 February 1876 – 1 September 1876 | Vogel | ||
| 11 | Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) | 1 September 1876 – 13 October 1877 | Atkinson | ||
| 12 | Elizabeth Lucy "Eliza" Grey (Lady Grey) (née Spencer) | 13 October 1877 – 8 October 1879 | Grey | ||
| 13 | Rose Anne Hall (Lady Hall) (née Dryden) | 8 October 1879 – 21 April 1882 | Hall | ||
| (6) | Jane Augusta Whitaker (Lady Whitaker) (née Griffith) | 21 April 1882 – 25 September 1883 | Whitaker | ||
| (11) | Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) | 25 September 1883 – 16 August 1884 | Atkinson | ||
| 14 | Anna Paterson Stout (Lady Stout) (née Logan) | 16 August 1884 – 28 August 1884 | Stout | ||
| (11) | Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) | 28 August 1884 – 3 September 1884 | Atkinson | ||
| (14) | Anna Paterson Stout (Lady Stout) (née Logan) | 3 September 1884 – 8 October 1887 | Stout | ||
| (11) | Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) | 8 October 1887 – 24 January 1891 | Atkinson | ||
| 15 | Ellen Ballance (née Anderson) | 24 January 1891 – 27 April 1893 | Ballance | ||
| 16 | Louisa Jane Seddon (née Spotswood) | 27 April 1893 – 10 June 1906 | Seddon | ||
| 17 | Rosalind Lucy Hall-Jones (Lady Hall-Jones) (née Purss) | 10 June 1906 – 6 August 1906 | Hall-Jones | ||
| 18 | Theresa Dorothea Ward (Lady Ward) (née de Smidt) | 6 August 1906 – 28 March 1912 | Ward | ||
| 19 | Ida Henrietta Mackenzie (Lady Mackenzie) (née Nantes) | 28 March 1912 – 10 July 1912 | Mackenzie | ||
| 20 | (Dame) Christina Allan Massey (née Paul) | 10 July 1912 – 10 May 1925 | Massey | ||
| 21 | Caroline Bell (Lady Bell) (née Robinson) | 10 May 1925 – 30 May 1925 | Bell | ||
| 22 | Marguerite Grace "Marjorie" Coates (née Coles) | 30 May 1925 – 10 December 1928 | Coates | ||
| Vacant | 10 December 1928 – 28 May 1930 | Ward | |||
| 23 | Emma Serena Forbes (née Gee) | 28 May 1930 – 6 December 1935 | Forbes | ||
| Vacant | 6 December 1935 – 27 March 1940 | Savage | |||
| 24 | Janet Fraser (née Munro, formerly Kemp) | 27 March 1940 – 7 March 1945† | Fraser | ||
| Vacant | 7 March 1945 – 13 December 1949 | Fraser | |||
| 25 | Florence Beatrice Holland (Lady Holland) (née Drayton) | 13 December 1949 – 20 September 1957 | Holland | ||
| 26 | (Dame) Norma Janet Holyoake (née Ingram) | 20 September 1957 – 12 December 1957 | Holyoake | ||
| 27 | Lottie May "Lotty" Nash (Lady Nash) (née Eaton) | 12 December 1957 – 12 December 1960 | Nash | ||
| (26) | (Dame) Norma Janet Holyoake (née Ingram) | 12 December 1960 – 7 February 1972 | Holyoake | ||
| 28 | Jessie Margaret Marshall (Lady Marshall) (née Livingston) | 7 February 1972 – 8 December 1972 | Marshall | ||
| 29 | (Dame) Lucy Ruth Kirk (née Miller) | 8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974 | Kirk | ||
| — | Irene Frances Watt (née Ray) | 31 August 1974 – 6 September 1974 | Watt Acting | ||
| 30 | Glen Elna Rowling (Lady Rowling) (née Reeves) | 6 September 1974 – 12 December 1975 | Rowling | ||
| 31 | (Dame) Thea Dale Muldoon (née Flyger) | 12 December 1975 – 26 July 1984 | Muldoon | ||
| 32 | Naomi Joy Lange (née Crampton) | 26 July 1984 – 8 August 1989 | Lange | ||
| 33 | Margaret Palmer (Lady Palmer) (née Hinchcliff) | 8 August 1989 – 4 September 1990 | Palmer | ||
| 34 | Yvonne Moore (née Dereany) | 4 September 1990 – 2 November 1990 | Moore | ||
| 35 | Joan Maureen Bolger (née Riddell) | 2 November 1990 – 8 December 1997 | Bolger | ||
| 36 | Burton Shipley | 8 December 1997 – 10 December 1999 | Shipley | ||
| 37 | Peter Byard Davis | 10 December 1999 – 19 November 2008 | Clark | ||
| 38 | Bronagh Irene Key (Lady Key) (née Dougan) | 19 November 2008 – 12 December 2016 | Key | ||
| 39 | Mary English (Lady English) (née Scanlon) | 12 December 2016 – 26 October 2017 | English | ||
| 40 | Clarke Gayford | 26 October 2017 – 25 January 2023 | Ardern | ||
| 41 | Jade Marie Hipkins (née Paul) | 25 January 2023 – 27 November 2023 | Hipkins | ||
| 42 | Amanda Luxon (née Rae) | 27 November 2023 – Present | Luxon | ||
While remaining married, Chris and Jade Hipkins separated in 2022.[4]
* Incumbent's length of tenure last updated: .