Staff at Government House

Government House staff pictured with the Governor-General Hon Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand, at the bottom of the central staircase in Government House in Wellington.

More than 10,000 visitors pass through Government House in Wellington and Auckland each year, from foreign Heads of State, politicians and diplomats, to ordinary New Zealanders, young and old. Functions hosted by the Governor-General range from formal ceremonies, state dinners and investitures to garden parties, open days and tours of the House and gardens.

The management of this steady flow of visitors requires planning and immaculate housekeeping. It also calls for the preparation and serving of New Zealand food and wine of the highest standard

The household staff at Government House includes chefs, stewards, housekeepers and a chauffeur.  Government House is a unit of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the manager of the office and two Houses is the Official Secretary.  The Official Secretary is a member of the Department's Senior Management Group and reports to the Clerk of the Executive Council.

The Governor-General also travels throughout New Zealand and internationally.  Within New Zealand the Governor-General attends a wide variety of functions from conferences, award ceremonies and anniversaries of national organisations including cultural, sporting and professional bodies.  The Government House office and programme staff handle all administrative matters, such as maintaining the Governor-General's diary, assisting him with speeches, liaising with the media, arranging his travel programme and handling the protocol associated with all official events.

At all times, the Governor-General is accompanied by one of the two Aides-de-Camp who are seconded from the New Zealand Defence Force.

The extensive gardens at the two Government Houses, both endorsed as "Gardens of National Significance" by the New Zealand Gardens Trust, are maintained by contract gardeners.