The Minister of Defence is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

and the Ministry of Defence. The present Minister is

Peeni Henare Peeni Ereatara Gladwyn Henare () is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who has been a member of the New Zealand parliament for the Tāmaki Makaurau Māori electorate since the 2014 general election. Family Henare is a great grandson of Ta ...

, a member of the Labour Party.

History

Initially, military affairs in New Zealand were controlled by the British-appointed

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, without input from the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand (King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by hi ...

, 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. However, senior military officers did serve as members of the Executive Council. Three such appointments were made: Lieutenant Colonel

Robert Wynyard Robert Henry Wynyard (24 December 1802 – 6 January 1864) was a New Zealand colonial administrator, serving at various times as Lieutenant Governor of New Ulster Province, Administrator of the Government, and was the first Superintendent ...

, Major General

Thomas Simson Pratt General Sir Thomas Simson Pratt, (1797 – 2 February 1879) was a British Army officer. He served in the First Anglo-Chinese War (1839–1841), in India from 1843 to 1855 where he was deputy adjutant-general at Madras, and was commander of the ...

, and Lieutenant General

Duncan Alexander Cameron General Sir Duncan Alexander Cameron, (20 May 18088 June 1888) was a British Army officer who fought in the Crimean War and part of the New Zealand Wars. He was later a governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Born into a family wit ...

. In 1863, under the premiership of

Alfred Domett Alfred Domett (20 May 18112 November 1887) was the fourth premier of New Zealand, a close friend of the poet Robert Browning and author of the epic poem ''Ranolf and Amohia, a South Sea Day Dream''. Born in England, he emigrated to New Zealan ...

, 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 New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the ...

, 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 Sir Robert Stout (28 September 1844 – 19 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who was the 13th premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold bot ...

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 A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

instead. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, 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

References

External links

New Zealand Ministry of Defence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister Of Defence (New Zealand) *

Defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

History

List of Defence Ministers

See also

References

External links