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This class of outputs involves:
The Governor-General is the Queen's representative in New Zealand – and has constitutional, ceremonial and community roles. He requires high-quality advice and support to carry out these roles in a way that is appropriate for the representative of the head of state. The Wellington and Auckland Government Houses are important facilities for carrying out the Governor-General's duties, and are also important as historic places.
| 30.06.07 | 30.06.08 | 30.06.08 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual $000 |
Actual $000 |
Main
Estimates $000 |
Supplementary
Estimates $000 |
|
| 4,069 | Revenue - Crown | 3,476 | 3,516 | 3,476 |
| 65 | Revenue - Other | 50 | 58 | 58 |
| 4,098 | Expenditure | 3,506 | 3,546 | 3,506 |
| 36 | Surplus | 20 | 28 | 28 |
The Governor-General and Mrs Satyanand maintained an extensive schedule of official visits and activities throughout New Zealand and overseas. Countries visited by the Governor-General included Canada, Belgium, Tokelau, Samoa, Cook Islands and Australia; in addition he attended the United Nations in New York to accept the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award on behalf of the New Zealand Government. Government House staff liaised closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Cabinet Office to support these successful visits, providing all travel and programme arrangements as well as full briefing and background material for meetings and official events.
The Governor-General's ceremonial programme included hosting 16 investiture ceremonies for the recipients of the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours and 2008 New Year's Honours awards, 6 credential ceremonies for newly accredited ambassadors, and state welcomes for the heads of state of Uruguay, Vietnam, Ireland, Samoa, Singapore, and Kiribati. A special commemorative reception was also held at Government House Auckland following the funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary. The Governor-General attended Waitangi and ANZAC Day ceremonies and made an official visit to the Turangawaewae Marae as part of King Tuheitia's Koroneihana celebrations.
Informal debriefing was undertaken with the Governor-General immediately after all ceremonial and community events. Any areas for improvement were discussed at management and programme meetings, and, where possible, incorporated into future events by way of changed procedures. Formal monthly meetings were also held with the Governor-General, seeking feedback on all aspects of support for the official programme.
Formal feedback was sought from the Governor-General on the range of services provided. In addition, feedback was sought from external agencies as part of the stakeholder survey.
A wide range of functions and ceremonial occasions were delivered and supported to the standard required by the Governor-General. This included 214 official engagements throughout New Zealand along with major regional visits to Northland, Southland, Stewart Island, and the Rotorua and Waikato districts. In addition, the Governor-General hosted 220 functions at Government House Wellington and 47 functions at Government House Auckland, with an estimated 16,805 people visiting both Houses either as individual guests or on organised tours. Feedback from attendees and visitors confirm that these events were well organised.
Administration systems and processes to support the Governor-General were fully maintained. All correspondence including Royal Prerogative of Mercy applications were dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner. More than 240 speeches covering a wide range of topics were prepared for the Governor-General.
The major focus for the year has been further development of plans for the conservation and refurbishment of Government House Wellington. Following completion of the condition survey, the functional analysis and the conservation plan in 2007, design options and budgets were presented to Cabinet.
The options were designed to meet the uses and requirements of Governors-General both now and in the future, to address regulatory and statutory requirements, to incorporate environmentally sustainable design features, and to maintain the heritage values of the building. Cabinet selected its preferred option and a capital appropriation was approved. The funding was announced in the 2008 Budget.
The views of the Governor-General on the maintenance and development programmes for both properties were sought regularly and taken account of.
We have been implementing the outcome of a previous security review covering both Houses and have deferred a further security review of Government House Wellington so that it can take place as part of the conservation project.