Spouse of the Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Spouse of the Prime Minister of New Zealand is an unofficial title, the holder of which, by convention, is the host or hostess of Premier House, the official residence of the Prime Minister. An unpaid position that has no official responsibilities, the role has gained significance since the 1960s, with the prime minister's spouse acting as a key national figure on social issues and a prominent symbol of government. The spouse also assists the prime minister in welcoming foreign dignitaries to Parliament House and the official residences.
| Partner of the Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Premier House |
| Inaugural holder | Elizabeth Sewell |
| Formation | 7 May 1856 |
The 23rd Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage, was a bachelor during his term, but otherwise, until the tenure of the 36th Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, the post had always been filled by a woman; Burton Shipley was Jenny Shipley's husband. The current Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, is unmarried; her partner (since May 2019, fiancé) is radio personality Clarke Gayford.[1]
Current
The current acting spouse of the Prime Minister of New Zealand is Clarke Gayford, who assumed the role when his partner became the Prime Minister of New Zealand on 26 October 2017.
There are currently eight living spouses of former prime ministers of New Zealand:
- Glen Rowling (wife of Bill Rowling)
- Margaret Palmer (wife of Geoffrey Palmer)
- Yvonne Moore (wife of Mike Moore)
- Joan Bolger (wife of Jim Bolger)
- Burton Shipley (husband of Jenny Shipley)
- Peter Davis (husband of Helen Clark)
- Bronagh Key (wife of John Key)
- Mary English (wife of Bill English)
The most recent spouse of a New Zealand prime minister to die was Thea Muldoon (widow of Robert Muldoon), on 24 February 2015.
Role
The Prime Minister's spouse has no official duties. Some earlier spouses stayed mainly at home and took little part in public life.
However, most recent Prime Ministers' spouses have been involved in charities or community organisations, working to raise public awareness, funds, and support for a range of causes. They generally assist their partners in political campaigns, and participate in official duties that come with the position, such as hosting foreign dignitaries, and, in particular, entertaining the spouses of dignitaries; accompanying the Prime Ministers on national and international trips; attending conferences and functions; and speaking in public, particularly in the Prime Minister's constituency. They have attended the opening of Parliament; hosted visitors at Premier House; visited Buckingham Palace, the White House, or the Japanese Imperial Palace; and been present at royal coronations and conferences.
Official recognition
Some Prime Ministers' spouses have received official recognition for their services to the community:
- Christina Massey, Norma Holyoake, Ruth Kirk and Thea Muldoon were given damehoods (DBE)
Muldoon was the first spouse of a Prime Minister to be provided with an official secretary for dealing with her correspondence.[2]
List of spouses
| No. | Portrait | Spouse (Maiden name) |
Tenure | Prime Minister |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Elizabeth Sewell (née Kittoe) – 1880 (aged 61) |
7 May 1856 – 20 May 1856 |
Sewell m. 1850 |
| 2 | |
Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) – 23 June 1892 (aged 76) |
20 May 1856 – 2 June 1856 |
Fox m. 1842 |
| 3 | |
Emily Stafford (née Charlotte) February 1827 – 18 April 1857 (aged 29) |
2 June 1856 – 18 April 1857 |
Stafford m. 1846 |
| Vacant | 18 April 1857 – 5 December 1859 |
Stafford Widower | ||
| 4 | |
Mary Stafford (Lady Stafford) (née Bartley) 1835 – 1899 (aged 64) |
5 December 1859 – 12 July 1861 |
Stafford m. 1859 |
| (2) | |
Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) 1816 – 23 June 1892 (aged 76) |
12 July 1861 – 6 August 1862 |
Fox m. 1842 |
| 5 | |
Mary Domett (née George) unknown – 1887 (aged unknown) |
6 August 1862 – 30 October 1863 |
Domett m. 1856 |
| 6 | |
Jane Augusta Whitaker (Lady Whitaker) (née Griffith) 1822 – 3 September 1884 (aged 62) |
30 October 1863 – 24 November 1864 |
Whitaker m. 1843 |
| 7 | |
Filumena Mary Anne Weld (Lady Weld) (née Lisle Phillipps) c. 1828[3] – 1903 (around aged 75) |
24 November 1864 – 16 October 1865 |
Weld m. 1859 |
| (4) | |
Mary Stafford (Lady Stafford) (née Bartley) 1835 – 1899 (aged 64) |
16 October 1865 – 28 June 1869 |
Stafford m. 1859 |
| (2) | |
Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) 1816 – 23 June 1892 (aged 76) |
28 June 1869 – 10 September 1872 |
Fox m. 1842 |
| (4) | |
Mary Stafford (Lady Stafford) (née Bartley) 1835 – 1899 (aged 64) |
10 September 1872 – 11 October 1872 |
Stafford m. 1859 |
| 8 | |
Lydia Waterhouse (née Giles) 1827 – 25 January 1910 (aged 83) |
11 October 1872 – 3 March 1873 |
Waterhouse m. 1848 |
| (2) | |
Sarah Fox (Lady Fox) (née Halcomb) 1816 – 23 June 1892 (aged 76) |
3 March 1873 – 8 April 1873 |
Fox m. 1842 |
| 9 | |
Mary Vogel (Lady Vogel) (née Clayton) 18 February 1849 – 12 August 1933 (aged 84) |
8 April 1873 – 6 July 1875 |
Vogel m. 1867 |
| 10 | |
Jane Pollen (née Henderson) 1828[4][5] – 1903 (aged 74–75) |
6 July 1875 – 15 February 1876 |
Pollen m. 1846 |
| (9) | |
Mary Vogel (Lady Vogel) (née Clayton) 18 February 1849 – 12 August 1933 (aged 84) |
15 February 1876 – 1 September 1876 |
Vogel m. 1867 |
| 11 | |
Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) 1838 – 1919 (aged 80–81) |
1 September 1876 – 13 October 1877 |
Atkinson m. 1867 |
| 12 |  |
Elizabeth Lucy "Eliza" Grey (Lady Grey) (née Spencer) 1823 – 4 September 1898 (aged 74–75) |
13 October 1877 – 8 October 1879 |
Grey m. 1839 |
| 13 | |
Rose Anne Hall (Lady Hall) (née Dryden) 22 December 1828 – 12 May 1900 (aged 71) |
8 October 1879 – 21 April 1882 |
Hall m. 1861 |
| (6) | |
Jane Augusta Whitaker (Lady Whitaker) (née Griffith) 1822 – 3 September 1884 (aged 62) |
21 April 1882 – 25 September 1883 |
Whitaker m. 1843 |
| (11) | |
Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) 1838 – 1919 (aged 80–81) |
25 September 1883 – 16 August 1884 |
Atkinson m. 1867 |
| 14 |  |
Anna Paterson Stout (Lady Stout) (née Logan) 29 September 1858 – 10 May 1931 (aged 72) |
16 August 1884 – 28 August 1884 |
Stout m. 1876 |
| (11) | |
Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) 1838 – 1919 (aged 80–81) |
28 August 1884 – 3 September 1884 |
Atkinson m. 1867 |
| (14) | |
Anna Paterson Stout (Lady Stout) (née Logan) 29 September 1858 – 10 May 1931 (aged 72) |
3 September 1884 – 8 October 1887 |
Stout m. 1876 |
| (11) | |
Ann Elizabeth Atkinson (Lady Atkinson) (née Smith) 1838 – 1919 (aged 80–81) |
8 October 1887 – 24 January 1891 |
Atkinson m. 1867 |
| 15 | |
Ellen Ballance (née Anderson) c. 1852 – 14 June 1935 (aged around 83) |
24 January 1891 – 27 April 1893 |
Ballance m. 1870 |
| 16 |  |
Louisa Jane Seddon (née Spotswood) 28 May 1851 – 9 July 1931 (aged 80) |
27 April 1893 – 10 June 1906 |
Seddon m. 1869 |
| 17 | |
Rosalind Lucy Hall-Jones (Lady Hall-Jones) (née Purss) 30 May 1858 – 13 October 1942 (aged 84) |
10 June 1906 – 6 August 1906 |
Hall-Jones m. 1877 |
| 18 |  |
Theresa Dorothea Ward (Lady Ward) (née de Smidt) 1866 – 1927 (aged 60–61) |
6 August 1906 – 28 March 1912 |
Ward m. 1883 |
| 19 | |
Ida Henrietta Mackenzie (Lady Mackenzie) (née Nantes) 23 December 1850 – 28 April 1926 (aged 75) |
28 March 1912 – 10 July 1912 |
Mackenzie m. 1884 |
| 20 | |
(Dame) Christina Allan Massey (née Paul) 11 January 1863 – 19 April 1932 (aged 69) |
10 July 1912 – 10 May 1925 |
Massey m. 1882 |
| 21 | |
Caroline Bell (Lady Bell) (née Robinson) 1853 – 8 September 1935 (aged 81–82) |
10 May 1925 – 30 May 1925 |
Bell m. 1878 |
| 22 | |
Marguerite Grace "Marjorie" Coates (née Coles) 3 October 1892 – 1973 (aged 80–81) |
30 May 1925 – 10 December 1928 |
Coates m. 1914 |
| Vacant | 10 December 1928 – 28 May 1930 |
Ward Widower | ||
| 23 | |
Emma Serena Forbes (née Gee) 20 August 1877 – 9 February 1961 (aged 83) |
28 May 1930 – 6 December 1935 |
Forbes m. 1898 |
| Vacant | 6 December 1935 – 27 March 1940 |
Savage Bachelor | ||
| 24 |  |
Janet Fraser (née Munro, formerly Kemp) 31 January 1883 – 7 March 1945 (aged 62) |
27 March 1940 – 7 March 1945 |
Fraser m. 1919 |
| Vacant | 7 March 1945 – 13 December 1949 |
Fraser Widower | ||
| 25 | |
Florence Beatrice Holland (Lady Holland) (née Drayton) 26 October 1894 – 1976 (aged 81–82) |
13 December 1949 – 20 September 1957 |
Holland m. 1920 |
| 26 | |
(Dame) Norma Janet Holyoake (née Ingram) 7 March 1909 – 18 December 1984 (aged 75) |
20 September 1957 – 12 December 1957 |
Holyoake m. 1934 |
| 27 | .jpg) |
Lottie May "Lotty" Nash (Lady Nash) (née Eaton) 17 March 1880 – 12 December 1961 (aged 81) |
12 December 1957 – 12 December 1960 |
Nash m. 1906 |
| (26) | |
(Dame) Norma Janet Holyoake (née Ingram) 7 March 1909 – 18 December 1984 (aged 75) |
12 December 1960 – 7 February 1972 |
Holyoake m. 1934 |
| 28 | |
Jessie Margaret Marshall (Lady Marshall) (née Livingston) 17 January 1917[6] – 2004 (aged 86–87) |
7 February 1972 – 8 December 1972 |
Marshall m. 1944 |
| 29 | |
(Dame) Lucy Ruth Kirk (née Miller) 28 April 1922 – 20 March 2000 (aged 77) |
8 December 1972 – 31 August 1974 |
Kirk m. 1943 |
| — | |
Irene Frances Watt (née unknown) 8 February 1918 – 30 April 2013[7] (aged unknown) |
31 August 1974 – 6 September 1974 |
Watt m. unknown Acting |
| 30 | .jpg) |
Glen Elna Rowling (Lady Rowling) (née Reeves) bef. 1933 (aged around 86–87) |
6 September 1974 – 12 December 1975 |
Rowling m. 1951 |
| 31 |  |
(Dame) Thea Dale Muldoon (née Flyger) 13 March 1927 – 24 February 2015 (aged 87) |
12 December 1975 – 26 July 1984 |
Muldoon m. 1951 |
| 32 | |
Naomi Joy Lange (née Crampton) bef. 1950 (aged around 69–70) |
26 July 1984 – 8 August 1989 |
Lange m. 1968 |
| 33 | .jpg) |
Margaret Palmer (Lady Palmer) (née Hinchcliff) bef. 1947 (aged around 72–73) |
8 August 1989 – 4 September 1990 |
Palmer m. 1963 |
| 34 | |
Yvonne Moore (née Dereany) bef. 1957 (aged around 62–63) |
4 September 1990 – 2 November 1990 |
Moore m. 1975 |
| 35 | |
Joan Maureen Bolger (née Riddell) bef. 1945 (aged around 74–75) |
2 November 1990 – 8 December 1997 |
Bolger m. 1963 |
| 36 | |
Burton Shipley bef. 1954 (aged around 65–66) |
8 December 1997 – 10 December 1999 |
Shipley m. 1972 |
| 37 |  |
Peter Byard Davis 25 April 1947 (aged 73) |
10 December 1999 – 19 November 2008 |
Clark m. 1981 |
| 38 | .jpg) |
Bronagh Irene Key (Lady Key) (née Dougan) 14 November 1963 (aged 56) |
19 November 2008 – 12 December 2016 |
Key m. 1984 |
| 39 | |
Mary English (Lady English) (née Scanlon) c. 1962[8] (aged 57–58) |
12 December 2016 – 26 October 2017 |
English m. unknown |
| 40 |  |
Clarke Gayfordα 24 October 1976[9] (aged 43) |
26 October 2017 – Incumbent |
Ardern domestic partner |
References
- "Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford engaged". The New Zealand Herald. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- "Dame Thea Muldoon dies". Radio New Zealand News. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- "Person – National Portrait Gallery".
- Sale, Charles. "Daniel Pollen grave monument details".
- Zealand, National Library of New. "Papers Past – DEATHS. (New Zealand Herald, 2 December 1903)".
- "Marshall, Margaret, 1917–2004". National Library. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- admin (1 May 2013). "Irene WATT Obituary – Auckland, Auckland".
- Chateau, Carroll du (7 December 2001). "The English Doctor". The New Zealand Herald.
- "The spotlight on Jacinda Ardern's TV presenter partner Clarke Gayford". stuff. 2 August 2017.
Lists of prime ministers of New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|
| By order |  | |
| Other | ||