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Sir James Fletcher, born 1914, has made an admirable contribution to the business industry and the community in New Zealand. He became the Managing Director of Fletcher Construction and Fletcher Holdings Ltd in 1942 and remained in that position until...

Sir Roy McKenzie, born 1922, is one of New Zealand’s leading dedicated philanthropists who has contributed to the community for over 50 years. He has spent half of his life contributing funds to areas of need in New Zealand society and being...

Sir Edmund Hillary, born 1919, is a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer and is one of New Zealand’s most famous living icons. He is most notable for conquering the summit of Mount Everest; however, he has also made significant contributions...

Dr Ivan Lichter, born 1918, is a retired thoracic surgeon who is regarded as one of the founding fathers of palliative care and the modern hospice movement in New Zealand. He has devoted his life to this branch of medicine, improving the standards of...

Doreen Blumhardt, born 1914, is one of New Zealand’s foremost potters and has worked as a ceramicist and arts educator for 70 years. She is considered to be a pioneer of art education and was head of the Art Department of Wellington College of...

Sir Paul Reeves, born 1932, made an outstanding contribution to the Anglican Church and the community.  He was Primate and Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia from 1980 to 1985 and was Bishop of Waiapu in 1971....

Mr Ralph Hotere is a painter, sculptor and collaborative artist and is regarded as one of New Zealand's most important contemporary artists. His works are a reaction to local and global social and environmental issues and are dominated by black,...

Dame Margaret Bazley has held senior leadership roles in the health and state sector for more than 50 years, most recently as Chair of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission from 1999 to 2011.She was Commissioner and Deputy Chairperson of the State...

Sir Peter Jackson is one of New Zealand’s best-known film-makers, and has made a leading contribution to the development of the New Zealand film industry. His work has not only brought him international fame, but has also widely promoted New...

Dame Malvina Major is one of New Zealand’s great opera divas. She has had an outstanding international career as a singer, but is also renowned as a teacher of voice and for her encouragement of the next generation of artists through the Dame...

Sir Ron Carter has contributed to New Zealand in the areas of regional and national infrastructure planning, governance, business and education. Sir Ron was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1998 for services to...

Professor Sir Peter Gluckman is one of New Zealand's internationally recognised biomedical and medical scientists. Sir Peter's research focuses have ranged from the hormonal control of growth before and after birth, intrauterine growth restriction and...

In October 2009, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet prepared a report to the Prime Minister recommending a cross-agency plan of action to tackle the harms caused by methamphetamine. Reports on progress against the Action Plan have been...

This page contains the relevant Cabinet papers and other documents relating to the process to consider changing the New Zealand Flag, undertaken from 2014–2016. The Responsible Minister was the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Bill English, and the lead...

The Ministerial Committee on Poverty arose out of the Relationship Accord and Confidence and Supply Agreement between the National Party and the Maori Party. Members of the Committee included Hon Bill English, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of...

DPMC is all about ensuring New Zealand is ambitious, resilient and well-governed, so naturally we’re involved in a wide range of work. Our vacancies   This includes: providing free and frank advice to the Prime Minister on constitutional...

To be a Knight Grand Companion of the said Order: KEY, The Right Honourable John Phillip For services to the State The Right Honourable John Key was New Zealand’s 38th Prime Minister, holding the office from November 2008 until stepping down in...

To be a Dame Companion of the said Order: CHRISTIE, Mrs Julie Claire Molloy, ONZM For services to governance and the television industry Mrs Julie Christie was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007 for her services to film and...

To be a Knight Companion of the said Order: DINGLE, Mr Graeme, ONZM, MBE For services to youth Mr Graeme Dingle was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to youth in 2001. Mr Dingle established the first Outdoor Pursuits...

To be a Companion of the said Order: AMA, Ms Mary Tupai For services to the arts and the Pacific community Ms Mary Ama is a New Zealand-Pacific artist, educator, cultural and community leader. Ms Ama founded and is lead artist and mentor for Pacifica...

To be an Officer of the said Order: ASHTON, Mr Desmond Albert (Des) For services to the New Zealand Defence Force and aviation Mr Des Ashton was Deputy Secretary Acquisition with the Ministry of Defence from 2008 to 2016, during which time he had...

To be a Member of the said Order: AITKEN, Mr Ross Alexander For services to conservation Mr Ross Aitken has been a member of the Auckland Conservation Board for the past five years, the last four as Chairperson. During this time the Board has...

The Queen's Service Medal ANDERSON, Mrs Clarice Lee For services to the blind and seniors Mrs Clarice Anderson has had a longstanding involvement with the Royal New Zealand Blind Foundation at a local level. Mrs Anderson helped establish the Central...

HEKE, Mr Randal Murray For services to New Zealand interests in Antarctica and historic preservation Mr Randal Heke was Chief Building Superintendent with the Ministry of Works and Development and oversaw the construction of a base headquarters (Scott...

GRANT, Staff Sergeant Tina Kathleen For services to the New Zealand Defence Force Staff Sergeant Tina Grant is the New Zealand Army’s liaison for families that have lost family members whilst in the service of the New Zealand Defence Force, whether it...

People in New Zealand can request government information (official information) and can expect it to be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it. The Official Information Act 1982 (or OIA) enables citizens, permanent residents,...

20 June 2013 The Chief Executive of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Andrew Kibblewhite, says the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) review the department has just been through provides some encouraging reassurance as well as areas...

There is no specific format or style you need to use to make your request. You do not need to mention the Official Information Act (or OIA) to make a request. How do I know if you are the right agency? What can I request? Can I request information...

What happens if we are not the right agency? What if we don’t understand your request? What happens if I need to change my request? How do we make a decision on a request? When will we withhold information? When will charges apply? What happens if...

The system of Cabinet government is an essential element of New Zealand's democracy. Cabinet provides the forum in which Ministers collectively consider, debate, and decide on the key issues facing the nation. The operations of Cabinet are not set out in...

The Cabinet Manual has for many years been the authoritative guide to New Zealand's system of central government decision making. It is also a primary source of information on constitutional matters. Successive governments have recognised the need for...

The Rt Hon Sir Kenneth Keith, 1990, updated 2008 and 2017 A constitution: What is it? A constitution is about public power, the power of the state. It describes and establishes the major institutions of government, states their principal powers, and...

Introduction 1.1 This chapter covers: the formal and constitutional aspects of the role of the Sovereign and the office of the Governor-General; the powers, membership, and meeting procedures of the Executive Council; the role of the...

1.2 New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. The Sovereign in right of New Zealand is the head of state of New Zealand, and is known by the royal style and titles defined in statute from time to time. Upon the demise of a Sovereign, the transition to...

Office of Governor-General 1.5 The Governor-General is the representative of the Sovereign in the Realm of New Zealand. The office of Governor-General is constituted by the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand 1983...