Statement of Service Performance for the year ended 30 June 2011Output Class 2: Support services to the Governor-General and maintenance of the residences

DESCRIPTION

This class of outputs involves:

• providing financial, administrative, communications, travel and advisory services to the Office of the Governor-General; and providing domestic and personal services to the Governor-General
• conducting a range of official functions, investitures and receptions at Government House, and hosting state and other dignitaries
• providing for the general upkeep and security of the Government Houses and grounds in Wellington and Auckland
• maintaining the other residences and buildings associated with the two Government Houses
• completing the Government House Conservation Project, and facilitating reoccupation of the House.

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 our head of state. Government House Wellington and Government House Auckland are important facilities for carrying out the Governor-General’s duties, and are also important as listed historic places.

OUTPUT CLASS 2 SERVICE PERFORMANCE: SUPPORT SERVICES TO THE GOVERNOR GENERAL AND MAINTENANCE OF THE RESIDENCES

Support services to the Governor-General

Objective To provide efficient and effective support to the Governor-General to facilitate the ceremonial and the community roles of the Governor-General.

Performance

The strategic programme framework to enhance the Governor-General’s ceremonial and community roles has continued to be implemented, with Their Excellencies maintaining a full and varied domestic and international programme in the past year.

An official visit to India was carried out in support of the New Zealand team at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, while visits to Brunei Darussalam and Finland were conducted in support of New Zealand’s foreign policy objectives. Their Excellencies also represented New Zealand at the wedding of HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton in London. Close liaison for these visits was maintained with other government agencies such as the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Defence Force, and Police.

Within New Zealand, Their Excellencies attended the Pike River Memorial Service in Greymouth in December; they also visited Christchurch on several occasions in support of the response and recovery effort after the September and February earthquakes, as well as attending the National Christchurch Memorial Service in March. In addition, Their Excellencies made visits to the Wairarapa and Northland regions and, further afield, to New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic islands (this last was as part of Operation Endurance, which was jointly organised by the Department of Conservation and the Royal New Zealand Navy).

Full briefing as well as travel and administrative support was provided for all domestic and international travel.

The Governor-General’s ceremonial programme included Waitangi Day activities at Waitangi and Auckland; 20 investiture ceremonies for the recipients of the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours and 2011 New Year Honours awards in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland; and special ceremonies for Dame Temuranga Batley-Jackson DNZM and Sir Tamati Reedy KNZM. Six credentials ceremonies for newly accredited heads of diplomatic missions were also held. In addition, Government House supported the visit to New Zealand by the Prime Minister of Australia in February 2011. Their Excellencies’ participation in these events was well received, and was fully covered by the media.

Their Excellencies were kept well informed on and fully engaged in all programme-planning activities through regular reviews of the strategic programme framework, weekly programme-planning meetings, and full debriefings after overseas and regional visits. Regular feedback was sought and received from the Governor-General on the range of services provided in support of his ceremonial and community roles. Feedback on performance was also regularly received from external agencies and other stakeholders.

Objective To provide services to the Governor-General to ensure the efficient and effective running of the official programme and the household. These services include advisory, administrative and household activities, and the organising of functions.

Performance

Support was provided to Their Excellencies at Government House Auckland, at Government House Vogel in Lower Hutt, at the Islington Office in the grounds of Government House Wellington, and at Government House Wellington following its re-opening in March.

A diverse range of functions was delivered and supported throughout the year to the standard required by the Governor-General. This included 238 official engagements throughout New Zealand as well as the hosting of 147 functions at Government House Vogel, Premier House, Government House Auckland and Government House Wellington with an estimated 12,498 people participating as guests. Highlights of the year centred around Government House Wellington: the celebration of its centenary in October, and a series of events in March and April to mark its re-opening. Amongst the latter were a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon John Key, on 24 March, which was followed by a dinner for former Governors-General; and in early April two public open days were held with more than 8,000 visiting the House and several thousand more enjoying the grounds. These events garnered significant media coverage which highlighted the successful conservation of Government House Wellington. Feedback from Their Excellencies and guests confirm that these events were well organised, and that they maintained the dignity and standard expected of the Office of the Governor-General.

More than 250 draft speeches were also prepared for Their Excellencies on a wide range of topics. These speeches were favourably commented on by Their Excellencies for their content and informative style and were well received by audiences. Significant speeches were uploaded to the Government House website, as were many photographs and features focusing on Their Excellencies’ work. Government House also established a presence for the Governor-General in social media, with regular updates on Their Excellencies’ activities through Facebook and Twitter.

All correspondence including Royal Prerogative of Mercy applications and commemorative cards and letters were dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner.

With the announcement in March that Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae would succeed Sir Anand Satyanand as New Zealand’s 20th Governor-General, Government House began preparation, in collaboration with the Cabinet Office and a number of other agencies, for Sir Jerry’s swearing-in at the end of August and the commencement of his official programme.

Maintenance of the residences

Objective To preserve, secure and enhance the buildings and grounds of both Government Houses as appropriate residences for the head of state and as historic places.

Performance

The Government House Conservation Project was completed in early 2011 within budget and several months ahead of schedule, although some associated minor work will be carried out over the next few months. Staff reoccupied the building in January, Their Excellencies resumed residence in February, and Government House was formally re-opened in late March. The completion of the project means that Government House Wellington is now well equipped to meet the current and future requirements of New Zealand’s Governors-General. It also means that, while its heritage values have been respected and enhanced, the House now meets regulatory and statutory requirements (particularly earthquake strengthening) and incorporates environmentally sustainable design features.

Government House Auckland’s maintenance plan and schedule has continued. As a result, maintenance work on the guard house at the main gate was carried out to make it weather tight and the interior of the tennis pavilion was repainted. Maintenance of the Auckland grounds has also continued.

The views of Their Excellencies on the maintenance and development programmes for both Government Houses were sought regularly and taken into account.