Appointments made by the Governor-General

Appointments made by the Governor-General outside Executive Council

Templates are available for appointments made by the Governor-General or appointments made by the Administrator of the Government outside of Executive Council. The Administrator fulfils the Governor-General’s functions when the Governor-General is overseas.

The templates include:

• information on how to use the template
• a one page advice sheet from the Minister, which formally recommends that the Governor-General/Administrator of the Government make the appointment (this differs from the Executive Council advice sheet)
• a one page instrument recording the appointment.

When filling in the templates, officials should be aware of the following points:

• the advice sheet and instrument must be printed on buff coloured, high grade paper
• check the spelling thoroughly, especially names, including the names of appointees and the Governor-General or the Administrator of the Government
• the term “appoint” is, in this context, used for both appointments and reappointments
• the advice sheet and the instrument should include a term of appointment with specific start and end dates, e.g. “ for a term of three years commencing on 1 June 2015 and ending on 31 May 2018”
• the Minister signs and dates the advice sheet, but does not counter-sign the instrument until after it has been signed by the Governor-General
• if there is more than one appointee to an organisation, the names should be on one advice sheet (rather than having separate advice sheets for each appointment), but there should be separate instruments for each appointee
• another Minister may sign the advice sheet and counter-sign the instrument. In this case, that Minister will sign for the responsible Minister (writing “for” next to the responsible Minister’s title at the time that the document is signed).

Documents for the Governor-General’s signature must be accompanied by a letter signed by the responsible Minister, stating the action that the Governor-General is being advised to take and include information about the position and the appointee, a brief description of the role or function of the board, and any other background information that it would be useful for the Governor-General to know. A Candidate CV Form should be attached to the letter for every person being appointed.

Collection and dispatch of appointments documents and next steps

The Cabinet Office provides a collection/dispatch service for Ministers’ offices for delivering documents to the Governor-General. Documents for the Governor-General’s signature should not be sent through the mail. The Cabinet Office role is limited to ensuring the technical accuracy of the documents and the overall responsibility for the accuracy of the documents lies with the Minister’s office and department.

A regular delivery service takes place between Government House and the Cabinet Office at 2:00pm each working day. Documents to go the Governor-General should be hand delivered to the Cabinet Office reception on the 10th floor of the Beehive (by 1:00pm when the document is intended for delivery on the same day).

Once the Governor-General has signed the documents, they will be returned to the Cabinet Office, who will forward them to the relevant Minister’s office.

In exceptional circumstances where the Governor-General’s signature is required urgently, staff from the Minister’s office or departmental officials, subject to prior arrangement with Government House, may take the documents to Government House personally.

Where the instrument is required to have the seal affixed, the Cabinet Office will do this after the document has been signed by the Governor-General and before it is countersigned by the responsible Minister.

Once the appointment has been signed by the Governor-General and counter-signed by the Minister, a Gazette notice (if required) must be published, and a letter of appointment must be sent to the appointee.

Appointments made by the Governor-General in Executive Council

For appointments made by the Governor-General or the Administrator of the Government in Executive Council, the following process applies:

• the appointment is made by the Governor-General in Executive Council, who signs an advice sheet and if necessary, a document making the appointment;
• the documentation that is required is an Executive Council advice sheet, sometimes a separate instrument of appointment (e.g. a warrant), and a Candidate CV Form;
• the above documentation should be submitted in hard copy to the Cabinet Office following lodgement of the APH paper in CabNet;
• a Gazette notice (if required) must be published;
• a letter of appointment must be sent to the appointee once the appointment has been made by the Governor-General in Executive Council.