Appointment

The appointment of the Governor-General is made formally by the Crown. At first the Crown acted solely upon the advice of its Ministers and the Colonial Office in London, but by this century the practice had developed of permitting New Zealand Ministers to make a selection from a small number of names – usually three – which had been prepared in London by the Dominions Office, and the person so selected would then be recommended to the Crown by the British Ministers. Since the Imperial Conference of 1930, however, the preliminary selection, the final choice, and the recommendation to the Crown, have been made by New Zealand Ministers, usually after informal discussions with the Queen, the current Governor-General, the British Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, and any other British Ministers and officials who might have some personal knowledge of or acquaintance with the persons whom the New Zealand Ministers are considering.