GG writing at desk

Notes for my successor

The Fergussons and their personal staff

Sir Bernard and Lady Fergusson and staff

Until the late 1960s New Zealand's Governors-General were British, mainly minor aristocrats or admirals or generals. Each normally served a five-year term.

Few had visited New Zealand, so they needed advice about its climate, customs and cultures. They turned to several sources. Retired Governors-General or friends who had lived here passed on helpful tips. New Zealand House in London also assisted.

They also had 'Notes for My Successor', the little desk file written or updated by the retiring Governor-General. In a few typewritten pages it set out what the new person could expect – the climate, local tradespeople, prices and the many perquisites and burdens that went with the job.

The notes were never meant to be published. They were too scrappy, personal and informal for that. Still, they were refreshingly frank, so let's peer over the viceregal shoulders to see what the King's and Queen's men really thought about New Zealand's top job.

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