Minister of Defence (New Zealand)

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Minister of Defence
Coat of arms of New Zealand.svg
Flag of New Zealand.svg
COLLINS, Judith - Papakura (cropped).png
Incumbent
Judith Collins
since 27 November 2023
Ministry of Defence
Style The Honourable
Member of
Reports to Prime Minister of New Zealand
Appointer Governor-General of New Zealand
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation22 July 1862
First holder Reader Wood
Salary$288,900 [1]
Website www.beehive.govt.nz

The minister of defence is a minister in the New Zealand Government with responsibility for the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence.

Contents

The present minister is Judith Collins, a member of the National Party. [2]

History

Initially, military affairs in New Zealand were controlled by the British-appointed governor, without input from the New Zealand Parliament, which was only established in 1853. There was no minister of defence as such, as the governor retained control over all armed forces in the colony. [3] However, senior military officers did serve as members of the Executive Council. Three such appointments were made: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wynyard, Major General Thomas Simson Pratt, and Lieutenant General Duncan Alexander Cameron.

In 1863, under the premiership of Alfred Domett, a minister for colonial defence was appointed. Reader Wood, a former militia officer, became the first minister. This post continued to exist with only brief interruption until Edward Stafford's short-lived premiership of 1872, in which no defence minister was appointed. As a consequence of the New Zealand Wars, the defence portfolio was considered closely linked to the post of Minister of Native Affairs — on occasion, the latter post was formally titled "Minister of Native Affairs and Defence". It was not until the premiership of Robert Stout in 1884 that a separate minister of defence was formally appointed, and not until 1887 that the post was given to someone who was not simultaneously minister of native affairs. Until 1896 the responsibility for the New Zealand Police rested with the minister of defence before being allocated to the minister of justice instead. [4]

During World War II, the post was supplemented by several others — a minister of national service (conscription), a minister of supply and munitions, a minister in charge of war expenditure, and a minister of armed forces and war co-ordination. All were part of the special War Cabinet, but only the first was a member of the regular domestic Cabinet.

List of defence ministers

Key

   Independent    Liberal    Reform    United    Labour    National    NZ First

No.NamePortraitTerm of OfficePrime Minister
1 Reader Wood No image.png 22 July 186230 October 1863 Domett
2 Harry Atkinson Sir Harry Albert Atkinson, ca 1885.jpg 24 November 186416 October 1865 Weld
3 Theodore Haultain Theodore Haultain.jpg 31 October 186528 June 1869 Stafford
4 Donald McLean Donald McLean, 1870s.jpg 28 June 186910 September 1872 Fox
1872–1884: No separate appointments, although John Bryce twice held office as
"Minister of Native Affairs and Defence"
; broken by William Rolleston from 4 February to 19 October 1881
5 John Ballance John Ballance 1880.jpg 16 July 18848 October 1887 Stout
6 Thomas Fergus Thomas Fergus, NZETC.jpg 8 October 188417 October 1889 Atkinson
7 William Russell William Russell Russell.jpg 17 October 188924 January 1891
8 Richard Seddon Richard Seddon, 1906.jpg 24 January 189122 June 1896 Ballance
Seddon
9 Thomas Thompson Thomas Thompson, 1884.jpg 22 June 189623 January 1900
(8) Richard Seddon Richard Seddon, 1906.jpg 23 January 190010 June 1906
10 Albert Pitt Albert Pitt.jpg 21 June 190618 November 1906 Hall-Jones
Ward
11 Joseph Ward Joseph Ward c. 1906.jpg 23 November 190628 March 1912
12 Arthur Myers Arthur Mielziner Myers.jpg 28 March 191210 July 1912 Mackenzie
13 James Allen James Allen portrait.jpg 10 July 191228 April 1920 Massey
14 Heaton Rhodes Robert Heaton Rhodes Jr (1915).jpg 21 July 192018 January 1926
Bell
Coates
15 Frank Rolleston Frank Rolleston.jpg 18 January 192626 November 1928
16 William Downie Stewart Jr William Downie Stewart.jpg 28 November 192810 December 1928
17 Thomas Wilford Thomas Wilford, 1928.jpg 10 December 192810 December 1929 Ward
18 John Cobbe John George Cobbe.jpg 10 December 19296 December 1935
Forbes
19 Fred Jones Fred Jones 1935.jpg 6 December 193513 December 1949 Savage
Fraser
20 Tom Macdonald Thomas Lachlan Macdonald.jpg 13 December 194926 September 1957 Holland
21 Dean Eyre Dean Eyre.jpg 26 September 195712 December 1957 Holyoake
22 Phil Connolly Phil Connolly.jpg 12 December 195712 December 1960 Nash
(21) Dean Eyre Dean Eyre.jpg 12 December 196012 December 1966 Holyoake
23 David Thomson David Spence Thomson.jpg 12 December 19669 February 1972
24 Allan McCready Allan McCready.jpg 9 February 19728 December 1972 Marshall
25 Arthur Faulkner Arthur Faulkner, 1951 (1).jpg 8 December 197210 September 1974 Kirk
26 Bill Fraser Bill Fraser, 1957.jpg 10 September 197412 December 1975 Rowling
(24) Allan McCready Allan McCready.jpg 12 December 197513 December 1978 Muldoon
27 Frank Gill Frank Gill (crop).jpg 13 December 197821 August 1980
(23) David Thomson David Spence Thomson.jpg 28 August 198026 July 1984
28 Frank O'Flynn Frank O'Flynn, 1984.jpg 26 July 198424 July 1987 Lange
29 Bob Tizard Bob Tizard, 1968.jpg 24 July 19879 February 1990
Palmer
30 Peter Tapsell Peter Tapsell (cropped).jpg 9 February 19902 November 1990
Moore
31 Warren Cooper Warren Cooper 1983.jpg 2 November 19901 March 1996 Bolger
32 Paul East Paul East crop.jpg 1 March 19965 December 1997
33 Max Bradford Max Bradford.jpg 5 December 199710 December 1999 Shipley
34 Mark Burton Mark Burton.jpg 10 December 199912 October 2005 Clark
35 Phil Goff Phil Goff, 2003.jpg 12 October 200519 November 2008
36 Wayne Mapp Wayne Mapp (Office).jpg 19 November 200814 December 2011 Key
37 Jonathan Coleman Jonathan Coleman 3by2.png 14 December 20116 October 2014
38 Gerry Brownlee Gerry Brownlee 2017.jpg 6 October 20142 May 2017
English
39 Mark Mitchell Mark Mitchell 2017.jpg 2 May 201726 October 2017
40 Ron Mark Ron Mark, 2018.jpg 26 October 20176 November 2020 Ardern
41 Peeni Henare Peeni Henare (cropped).jpg 6 November 20201 February 2023
Hipkins
42 Andrew Little Andrew Little 2019 (cropped).jpg 1 February 202327 November 2023
43 Judith Collins COLLINS, Judith - Papakura (cropped).png 27 November 2023Incumbent Luxon

See also

References

  1. "Radware Page" (PDF). www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  2. "Ministerial List". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet . Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. McLean, Gavin (2006). The Governors: New Zealand's Governors and Governors-General. Dunedin: Otago University Press. p. 63. ISBN   1-877372-25-0. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  4. "The Cabinet". The Star. No. 5498. 25 February 1896. p. 3.