Spouse of the Governor-General of New Zealand


The spouse of the Governor-General of New Zealand generally assists the office-holder in welcoming ambassadors and their spouses, and in performing their other official duties. The Governor-General's spouse traditionally participates in celebratory occasions, attends functions and, as a patron of various voluntary associations, works to promote the activities of those associations. None of the activities have any official status. The spouse of the Administrator of the Government of New Zealand fulfills the role when the Administrator of the Government performs the function of the Governor-General. The current spouse is David Gascoigne, husband of Patsy Reddy.
Both the Governor-General and their spouse are entitled to the style "His/Her Excellency" during the Governor-General's term of office, but not thereafter. The Governor-General is entitled to the style "The Right Honourable" for life; this does not extend to the spouse.
Most of the spouses of Governors-General have been content to be background figures providing the office-holder with support. Some have been all but unknown to the general New Zealand public. However, some have been notable in their own right, and details are shown in the following table.

List of spouses of the Governor-General of New Zealand