The Seal of New Zealand is the official seal of New Zealand, used to authorise official instruments of government, such as Royal Warrants, writs and Letters Patent. The seal is defined by the Seal of New Zealand Act 1977. [1] The Seal of New Zealand Proclamation 1977 mandates the design of the seal. [2] The governor-general of New Zealand has custody of the Seal, for all official instruments of His Majesty's Government in New Zealand. [1]
With the establishment of New Zealand as a British Crown Colony in 1841, all official instruments of the colonial government were sealed with the Public Seal of New Zealand. Governor William Hobson wrote a dispatch of 6 August 1841 to the Colonial Secretary in Britain acknowledging its receipt. [3] The seal was designed by Benjamin Wyon, Chief Engraver to the Seals. The design depicted Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom in treaty with a group of Māori chiefs.
A second seal, also designed by Benjamin Wyon, was approved by Queen Victoria in February 1848. The new design did not incorporate chiefs, perhaps because of the New Zealand wars being fought at the time. [4] It was dispatched with seals for New Ulster Province and New Munster Province and was received on 8 September 1848. [3] This seal, which was made of silver, remained in use until 1880 when it was replaced with a steel one. Later seals were withdrawn on the death of a sovereign and replaced on the accession of a new ruler. Exceptions to this rule were at the death of King George V and the accession of King Edward VIII.
The third seal was engraved by Alfred Wyon, Chief Engraver of Her Majesty's Seals, son of Benjamin Wyon. It was received in early August 1881 and was in use until late 1903. The fourth seal was ordered on 17 February 1902 and received in November 1903. The fifth seal was dispatched from the United Kingdom on 29 July 1912, received on 1 October 1912, and defaced on 15 November 1939. The sixth seal came into use on 15 November 1939 and was ordered by a Royal Warrant, published on 28 July 1959.
Until 1977, the official instruments of the government in relation to New Zealand or New Zealand's dependent territories were either sealed with the Public Seal of New Zealand and in other cases with the Great Seal of the United Kingdom. With the Seal of New Zealand Act 1977, the governments of the Cook Islands, Niue and New Zealand concurred to have a single seal for all of the Realm of New Zealand. [1] The current seal depicts the Coat of arms of New Zealand surrounded by the lettering "Elizabeth the Second Queen New Zealand". Despite the death of Queen Elizabeth II, use of this seal will be continued until a new Seal of New Zealand is proclaimed. [1] [5]
William Wyon, was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death.
In the United Kingdom, the Accession Council is a ceremonial body which assembles in St James's Palace in London upon the death of a monarch to make formal proclamation of the accession of the successor to the throne. Under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, a new monarch succeeds automatically. The proclamation confirms by name the identity of the new monarch, expresses loyalty to the "lawful and rightful Liege Lord", and formally announces the new monarch's regnal name, while the monarch and others, in front of the council, sign and seal several documents concerning the accession. An Accession Council has confirmed every English monarch since James I in 1603.
The Dominion of New Zealand was the historical successor to the Colony of New Zealand. It was a constitutional monarchy with a high level of self-government within the British Empire.
The title keeper of the seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the great seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial office. This is most often the case today, but in the past the role was often a distinct and important job.
The monarchy of New Zealand is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of New Zealand. The current monarch, King Charles III, acceded to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022 in the United Kingdom. The King's elder son, William, Prince of Wales, is the heir apparent.
The Great Seal of the Realm is a seal that is used to symbolise the sovereign's approval of state documents. It is also known as the Great Seal of the United Kingdom. To make it, sealing wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to seal officially. The formal keeper of the seal is the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
Thomas Wyon the Younger was an English medallist and chief engraver at the Royal Mint.
New Munster was an early original European name for the South Island of New Zealand, given by the Governor of New Zealand, Captain William Hobson, in honour of Munster, the Irish province in which he was born.
The Clerk of the Crown in Chancery in Great Britain is a senior civil servant who is the head of the Crown Office.
The Cook Islands are a constitutional monarchy within the Realm of New Zealand. Under the Cook Islands Constitution, the Sovereign in Right of New Zealand has been Head of State of the Cook Islands since 4 August 1965. The Sovereign is represented by the King's Representative; as such, the King is the de jure head of state, holding several powers that are his alone, while the King's Representative is sometimes referred to as the de facto head of state. The viceregal position is currently held by Tom Marsters.
Elizabeth II was proclaimed queen throughout the Commonwealth after her father, King George VI, died in the early hours of 6 February 1952, while Elizabeth was in Kenya. Proclamations were made in different Commonwealth realms on 6, 7, 8, and 11 February. The line of succession was identical in all the Commonwealth realms, but the royal title as proclaimed was not the same in all of them. Accession was followed sixteen months later by the Coronation of Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London on 2 June 1953.
The New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to grant self-government to the Colony of New Zealand, but it was never fully implemented. The Act's long title was An Act to make further Provision for the Government of the New Zealand Islands, and it received the royal assent on 28 August 1846.
George William de Saulles was a British medallist. He designed the obverse of coins of the United Kingdom and its colonies under Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.
The Public Seal of Hong Kong, formally known as Public Seal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the seal for certifying government documents and legislations of Hong Kong. It is held by the Chief Executive.
The Colony of New Zealand was a colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that encompassed the islands of New Zealand from 1841 to 1907. The power of the British Government was vested in the governor of New Zealand. The colony had three successive capitals: Okiato in 1841; Auckland from 1841 to 1865; and Wellington from 1865, which continues as the capital of New Zealand today.
Benjamin Wyon was a British engraver of seals, and medallist.
Joseph Shepherd Wyon was a British medallist and seal-engraver.
The 1977 Queen's Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of Elizabeth II and the 25th anniversary of her accession to the throne, were appointments made by the Queen on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 11 June 1977.
Charles III became King of the United Kingdom and of 14 other Commonwealth realms upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022. Royal succession in the realms occurs immediately upon the death of the reigning monarch. The formal proclamation in Britain occurred on 10 September 2022, at 10:00 BST, the same day on which the Accession Council gathered at St James's Palace in London. The other realms, including most Canadian provinces and all Australian states, issued their own proclamations at times relative to their time zones, following meetings of the relevant privy or executive councils. While the line of succession is identical in all the Commonwealth realms, the royal title as proclaimed is not the same in all of them.