Modern duties - the Governor-General

Modern duties

The governor-general's duties are divided into three functions: ceremonial, community and constitutional.

Ceremonial

The governor-general takes part in public ceremonies as the individual who represents the state. Important ceremonies include opening new sessions of Parliament, holding honours investitures, welcoming visiting heads of state, receiving the credentials of foreign diplomats and attending Waitangi Day and Anzac Day commemorations.

Community

This function grew considerably over the 20th century. The modern governor-general is usually patron of nearly 200 charitable, service, sporting and cultural organisations. Viceregal sponsorship or patronage signals that an organisation is worthy of wide support. Many of the governor-general's community functions also have a ceremonial dimension: laying foundation stones, opening buildings, addressing conferences and launching special events and appeals.

The community role consumes far more time than ceremonial or constitutional duties. In a typical year, over 15,000 people will attend functions at Government House, and the governor-general participates in 400–500 public events.

Constitutional

The purpose of the constitutional role is to maintain the legitimacy and continuity of government. The New Zealand constitution is a mix of legislation and conventions (binding understandings or customs that guide conduct and relationships).

By convention, the governor-general must act on the advice of ministers who have the support of the House. They, in turn, must keep the governor-general informed about government business. He or she may encourage, warn and offer suggestions.

The reserve powers (or the personal prerogative, as the governor-general's personal discretion is called) are confined to appointing or dismissing a prime minister, refusing a request to dissolve Parliament, forcing a dissolution of Parliament or refusing the royal assent to a bill where to grant it would be unlawful or would irreparably impair representative democracy. Listed that way, they sound impressive, but their exercise is, in all but exceptional circumstances, dictated by constitutional convention. On all other occasions, the non-partisan governor-general follows the advice of Cabinet ministers – politicians elected by the people.