Skip to main content

Kōrero: Constitution

The governor-general signing the writ for the 2008 general election

Image
The governor-general signing the writ for the 2008 general election

One of New Zealand's constitutional conventions is that the sovereign and her or his representative in New Zealand, the governor-general, only act on the advice of ministers. This subordinates the monarch's legal powers to cabinet. This is Governor-General Anand Satyanand signing the writ for the 2008 general election, something he would have done on the advice of the prime minister.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

The Governor-General of New Zealand

by Woolf

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Matthew Palmer, Constitution – Constitutional conventions, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/35883/the-governor-general-signing-the-writ-for-the-2008-general-election (accessed 2 July 2026).

He kōrero nā Matthew Palmer, i tāngia i te 7 May 2012.