The Seal of New Zealand is the official

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, 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. ''The Seal of New Zealand Proclamation 1977'' mandates the design of the seal. The

governor-general of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the Viceroy, viceregal representative of the Monarchy of New Zealand, monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 ...

has custody of the Seal, for all official instruments of His Majesty's Government in New Zealand.

Background

With the establishment of New Zealand as a British

Crown Colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Council ...

in 1841, all official instruments of the colonial government were sealed with the Public Seal of New Zealand. Governor

William Hobson Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...

wrote a dispatch of 6 August 1841 to the Colonial Secretary in Britain acknowledging its receipt. The seal was designed by Benjamin Wyon, Chief Engraver to the Seals. The design depicted Queen

Victoria of the United Kingdom Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

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 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 M ...

being fought at the time. It was dispatched with seals for

New Ulster Province New Ulster was a province of the Colony of New Zealand that existed between 1841 and 1853. It was named after the Irish province of Ulster. Creation Between 1841 and 1846, the province included all the North Island. With the passing of the New ...

and

New Munster Province 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. Province When New Zealand was sepa ...

and was received on 8 September 1848. 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 George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother ...

and the accession of King

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

. 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. In 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 The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom (known prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707 as the Great Seal of England; and from then until the Union of 1801 as the Great Seal of Great Britain) is a seal that is used to sym ...

. The government of the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

and the government of

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between T ...

have concurred with a new single seal for all of the

Realm of New Zealand The Realm of New Zealand consists of the entire area in which the monarch of New Zealand functions as head of state. The realm is not a federation; it is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. New Zealand is an indep ...

. The current seal depicts the

Coat of arms of New Zealand The coat of arms of New Zealand ( mi, Te Tohu Pakanga o Aotearoa) is the heraldic symbol representing the South Pacific island country of New Zealand. Its design reflects New Zealand's history as a bicultural nation, with a European female figu ...

surrounded by the lettering "Elizabeth the Second Queen New Zealand". Despite the passing of

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

, use of this seal will be continued until a new Seal of New Zealand is proclaimed.

References

{{reflist

External links

Seal of New Munster

Seal of New Ulster

1841 Seal of New Zealand

1852 Seal of New Zealand

National symbols of New Zealand Monarchy in New Zealand