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Story: Governors and governors-general

The king maker

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The king maker

By convention, the governor-general is apolitical, so Prime Minister Rob Muldoon’s 1977 appointment of sitting cabinet minister Sir Keith Holyoake to the job without first seeking the leader of the opposition’s views drew criticism. Cartoonist Bob Brockie drew Holyoake as Muldoon’s glove puppet.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: H-705-013

by Bob Brockie

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Gavin McLean, Governors and governors-general – Governing Britain’s empire, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/cartoon/33639/the-king-maker (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gavin McLean, published 30 January 2012.