Spouse of the governor-general of New Zealand
New Zealand governmental role
The spouse of the governor-general of New Zealand generally assists the office-holder in welcoming ambassadors and their spouses, and in performing their other official duties. The governor-general 's spouse traditionally participates in celebratory occasions, attends functions and, as a patron of various voluntary associations, works to promote the activities of those associations. None of the activities have any official status. The spouse of the administrator of the Government fulfills the role when the administrator (chief justice ) performs the function of the governor-general.
The current spouse (since 21 October 2021) is Richard Davies , husband of Cindy Kiro .
Both the governor-general and their spouse are entitled to the style "His/Her Excellency" during the governor-general's term of office, but not thereafter. The governor-general is entitled to the style "The Right Honourable" for life; this does not extend to the spouse.
Most of the spouses of governors-general have been content to be background figures providing the office-holder with support. Some have been all but unknown to the general New Zealand public. However, a few have been notable in their own right, and details are shown in the following table.
List of spouses of the governor-general of New Zealand
#
Governor-General
Term start
Term end
Spouse
Born
Died
Notes
1
Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
28 June 1917
8 July 1920
Annette Monck, Countess of Liverpool GBE
23 May 1875
25 May 1948
Annette Monck was the daughter of Henry Monck, 5th Viscount Monck .
2
John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
27 September 1920
12 December 1924
Florence Gwendoline Cayzer, Lady Jellicoe
20 July 1877
12 May 1964
Florence Gwendoline Cayzer was the daughter of the shipping magnate Sir Charles Cayzer .
3
Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet
13 December 1924
8 February 1930
Alice Mary Boyle, Lady Alice Fergusson
18 December 1877
1 January 1958
Lady Alice Mary Boyle was the daughter of David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow .
4
Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe
19 March 1930
15 March 1935
Hon Bertha Susan, Lady Bledisloe
c. 1869
1926
Hon Bertha Susan was the daughter of Henry Charles Lopes, 1st Baron Ludlow.
5
George Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount Galway
12 April 1935
3 February 1941
Lucia Margaret White, Lady Galway
3 December 1890[ 1]
1983
Lucia Margaret White was the daughter of the Luke White, 3rd Baron Annaly.
6
Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall
22 February 1941
19 April 1946
Olive Foster, Lady Newall
?
c. 1988
7
Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg
17 June 1946
15 August 1952
Barbara Jekyll, Lady Freyberg
14 June 1887
24 September 1973
Lady Freyberg was daughter of Sir Herbert Jekyll and Dame Agnes Jekyll .
8
Willoughby Norrie, 1st Baron Norrie
2 December 1952
25 July 1957
Patricia Merryweather Bainbridge, Lady Norrie
March 1907[ 2] [ 3]
January 2001
Lady Norrie was the daughter of Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge and Norah Mossum (née Merryweather).
9
Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham
5 September 1957
13 September 1962
Elizabeth Alison Makeig-Jones, Lady Cobham
?
1986[ 4] [ 5]
10
Bernard Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae
9 November 1962
20 October 1967
Laura Margaret Grenfell, Lady Ballantrae
14 April 1920
17 December 1979
11
Sir Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt
1 December 1967
7 September 1972
Kathleen Mary Peck, Lady Porritt [ 6]
25 October 1913
13 July 1998
12
Sir Denis Blundell
27 September 1972
5 October 1977
June Daphne Blundell, Lady Blundell
19 June 1922
31 October 2012
13
Sir Keith Holyoake
26 October 1977
25 October 1980
Dame Norma Holyoake DCMG
7 March 1909
18 December 1984
14
Sir David Beattie
6 November 1980
10 November 1985
Norma Margaret Sarah Macdonald, Lady Beattie
26 September 1925[ 7] [ 8]
9 May 2018
15
Sir Paul Reeves
20 November 1985
29 November 1990
Beverley Watkins, Lady Reeves
1934[ 9]
living
16
Dame Catherine Tizard
13 December 1990
21 March 1996
Vacant
Catherine Tizard married Bob Tizard in 1951. They divorced in 1980. Bob Tizard was Deputy Prime Minister from 1974 to 1975.
17
Sir Michael Hardie Boys
21 March 1996
21 March 2001
Mary Zohrab, Lady Hardie Boys QSO
1 April 1933
26 June 2024[ 10]
18
Dame Silvia Cartwright
4 April 2001
4 August 2006
Peter Cartwright CNZM
3 May 1940
17 April 2019
19
Sir Anand Satyanand
23 August 2006
23 August 2011
Susan Sharpe, Lady Satyanand
1947[ 11]
living
20
Sir Jerry Mateparae
31 August 2011
31 August 2016
Janine Grenside, Lady Mateparae
1965
living
21
Dame Patsy Reddy
28 September 2016
28 September 2021
Sir David Gascoigne KNZM CBE
15 January 1941
living
22
Dame Cindy Kiro
21 October 2021
Incumbent
Richard Davies
1959
living
See also
References
^ "Galway, Lucia Emily Margaret, Viscountess, 1890-1983" . Galway, Lucia Emily Margaret, Viscoun... | Items | National Library of New Zealand . 1 January 1890.
^ "Norrie, Patricia Merryweather (Lady), 1907-2001" . Norrie, Patricia Merryweather (Lady),... | Items | National Library of New Zealand . 1 January 1907.
^ "Patricia Merryweather BAINBRIDGE 1906-2001 - Ancestry®" . Ancestry.com . Archived from the original on 22 October 2019.
^ "Elizabeth Alison (née Makeig-Jones), Viscountess Cobham - National Portrait Gallery" . www.npg.org.uk .
^ "Cobham, Elizabeth Alison (Lady), -1986" . Cobham, Elizabeth Alison (Lady), -1986 | Items | National Library of New Zealand . 1 January 1986.
^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Porritt, Arthur Espie" . teara.govt.nz .
^ "Norma Beattie death notice" . New Zealand Herald . 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018 .
^ "Lady Norma Beattie embodied a sense of public service" . Stuff . 29 June 2018.
^ Reeves, Beverley Gwendolen (Lady) (1 March 2000). "Interview with Lady Beverley Reeves" . Interview with Lady Beverley Reeves | Items | National Library of New Zealand .
^ "Lady Hardie Boys obituary" . The New Zealand Herald . 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024 .
^ NZ Governor General's website Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine