Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives

The clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives is an officer of the New Zealand House of Representatives and is the principal officer (chief executive) of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives.^[1]

Clerk of the NZ House of Representatives
Incumbent David Wilson since 6 July 2015
Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives (Te Tari o te Manahautū o te Whare Māngai)
Reports to	Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Seat	New Zealand Parliament Buildings Wellington
Nominator	Speaker of the House after consultation with Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, et al
Appointer	Governor-General of New Zealand On the recommendation of the Speaker of the House
Term length	Seven years Eligible for reappointment
Constituting instrument	Clerk of the House of Representatives Act 1988
Formation	1854
First holder	James Coates
Deputy	Suzanne Jones, Deputy Clerk of the House
Website	http://www.parliament.nz

Role

The clerk of the House of Representatives advises the speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives and members of parliament on matters of parliamentary procedure. Other functions of the clerk of the House include: to record the proceedings and decisions of the House, to certify bills ready for royal assent, to issue the Order Paper (order of business) for each sitting day, to administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance for members of Parliament after a general election, and to oversee the provision of secretariat services for the House and its committees.^[2]

Clerk David Wilson took office on 6 July 2015 following the retirement of Mary Winifred Harris.^[3]

List of Clerks of the New Zealand House of Representatives

	Name	Portrait	Term of office
1	James Coates[4]		1854
2	Francis Eastwood Campbell[5]		1854–1889
3	George Friend[6]		1889–1898
4	Henry Otterson[7]		1898–1915
5	Alexander Francis Lowe[8]		1915–1919
6	Edward William Kane[9]		1920–1929
7	Thomas Donald Horn Hall[10]		1930–1945
8	Grafton Francis Bothamley[11]		1945–1946
9	Henry Nelson Dollimore[12]		1946–1971
10	Eric Roussell[13]		1971–1976
11	Charles Philip Littlejohn[14][15]		1976–1985
12	David McGee[16][17]		1985–2007
13	Mary Harris[18][19]		2007–2015
14	David Wilson[20]		2015–present

References

1. "Clerk of the House of Representatives Act 1988". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
2. "People in Parliament: Clerk of the House". Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
3. David Wilson appointed as Clerk of the House
4. Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives, 1854, Session I-II
5. Notice of Appointment, NZ Government Gazette, No 17, 2 August 1854, page 85
6. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 64, 14 November 1889, page 1168
7. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 59, 4 August 1898, page 1256
8. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 77, 24 June 1915, page 2124
9. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 61, 24 June 1920, page 2027
10. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, 27 February 1930, page 681
11. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 46, 5 July 1945, page 875
12. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 65, 19 September 1946, page 1270
13. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 22, 25 March 1971, page 526
14. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, 4 March 1976, page 455
15. 'Years at hub of politics ending', The New Zealand Herald, 1 June 1985, page 12
16. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, No 150, 15 August 1985, page 3506
17. Notice of resignation, NZ Gazette, 18 October 2007
18. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, 13 December 2007
19. Clerk's retirement marked in Parliament
20. Notice of appointment, NZ Gazette, 8 May 2015

External links

• New Zealand Parliament Website Archived 19 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine