Attorney-General (New Zealand)

The Attorney-General (Template:Langx)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is a political and legal officer in New Zealand. The Attorney-General is simultaneously a ministerial position and the chief law officer of the Crown, and has responsibility for supervising New Zealand law and advising the government on legal matters. The Attorney-General serves both a political and apolitical function.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The current Attorney-General is Judith Collins.

Responsibilities and powers

The Attorney-General has two main areas of official responsibility. One, the Attorney-General has ministerial jurisdiction over the Crown Law Office and the Parliamentary Counsel Office.<ref name=Briefing2023>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They also had responsibility for the Serious Fraud Office from its founding in 1990 until 2008, when it was transferred to the Minister of Police.<ref name=SFO_2020>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two, the Attorney-General is the principal law officer of the Crown, responsible for supervising the state's administration of the law and for providing legal advice to the government.<ref name=Briefing2023/> This includes upholding the rule of law<ref>Cabinet Office, Cabinet Manual 2017, at [4.3].</ref> and advising on compliance with domestic and international obligations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the latter role (but strictly not in the former), the Attorney-General is assisted by the Solicitor-General, a non-partisan official.<ref name=Briefing_2017>Briefing Paper for the Attorney-General (Crown Law Office, October 2017) at 3.</ref> This reduces the extent to which the Attorney-General's actions on behalf of the state (as opposed to the government) can be influenced by their political allegiance.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A more complete description of the Attorney-General's powers can be found in the briefings to the incoming Attorney-General prepared by the Crown Law Office (most recently in 2024).

At present, there is no statutory basis which establishes the office of Attorney-General, although the position is referenced by a number of other legal documents, such as the Constitution Act 1986 which allows the Solicitor-General to exercise the functions of the Attorney-General.<ref>Constitution Act 1986, s 9A.</ref> The functions of the Attorney-General are also described in the Cabinet Manual.<ref name=":1">Cabinet Office, Cabinet Manual 2017, [4.2]–[4.5].</ref>

There is no constitutional duty on the government to follow the advice of the law officers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Cabinet Manual outlines the process by which the legal advice provided by the Attorney-General (and others) may be disclosed.<ref>Cabinet Office, Cabinet Manual 2017, at [4.63–4.72].</ref>

The Attorney-General is also responsible for advising the Governor-General on who should be appointed judges of the courts of New Zealand.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

The post of Attorney-General has existed since the separation of New Zealand as a distinct Crown Colony from New South Wales. It is a distinct position from that of Minister of Justice, although the two posts are sometimes held by the same person, for example, Martyn Finlay held both positions from 1972 to 1975.

Historically, the post could be held either by a politician or by a senior jurist, but today, it is invariably held by a member of Parliament. The Attorney-General is a member of the Executive Council and is usually appointed as a member of the Cabinet. (An exception is when David Lange was appointed Attorney-General outside Cabinet from 1989 to 1990.)

By tradition, persons appointed Attorney-General have been lawyers. Only two attorneys-general have not been lawyers, Prime Minister George Forbes who held the post from 1933 until 1935 and most recently Michael Cullen who held the post in 2005 and again from 2006 to 2008. In November 1906, when Albert Pitt died, there was no lawyer in the governing Liberal Party who was free take up the position.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Hence Joseph Ward appointed John Findlay to the Legislative Council on 23 November 1906<ref name="Wilson">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp and appointed him Attorney-General and Colonial Secretary on the same day.<ref name="Wilson" />Template:Rp

The table below is an incomplete listing of New Zealand politicians who have held political appointment as Attorney-General since 1856. It does not show non-political attorneys-general. There were two previous attorneys-general before responsible government was introduced in New Zealand in 1856: Francis Fisher who held office for less than one year in 1841, and William Swainson who held office until 7 May 1856. Peter Wilkinson was the half-brother of his successor, Jim McLay.

List of attorneys-general

Key

No.		Name	Portrait	Term of office		Prime Minister
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	1	Frederick Whitaker	File:Frederick Whitaker, ca 1870s.jpg	7 May 1856	20 May 1856	width=1 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Sewell
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	2	William Fox	File:Sir William Fox restored.png	20 May 1856	2 June 1856	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Fox
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(1)	Frederick Whitaker	File:Frederick Whitaker, ca 1870s.jpg	2 June 1856	12 July 1861	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Stafford
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(2)	William Fox	File:Sir William Fox restored.png	12 July 1861	2 August 1861	rowspan=2 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Fox
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	3	Henry Sewell	File:Henry Sewell, 1860 cropped.jpg	2 August 1861	6 August 1862
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	4	Thomas Gillies	File:Thomas Gillies.jpg	6 August 1862	23 August 1862	rowspan=2 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	Domett
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(3)	Henry Sewell	File:Henry Sewell, 1860 cropped.jpg	23 August 1862	1 January 1863
rowspan=2 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(1)	Frederick Whitaker	File:Frederick Whitaker, ca 1870s.jpg	1 January 1863	24 November 1864	height=36 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|						Whitaker
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(3)	Henry Sewell	File:Henry Sewell, 1860 cropped.jpg	24 November 1864	16 October 1865	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Weld
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	5	James Prendergast	File:JamesPrendergast.JPG	16 October 1865	1 September 1876	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Stafford
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(1)	Frederick Whitaker	File:Frederick Whitaker, ca 1870s.jpg	1 September 1876	13 October 1877	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Atkinson
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	6	Robert Stout	File:Robert Stout, 1885.jpg	13 October 1877	8 October 1879	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Grey
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(1)	Frederick Whitaker	File:Frederick Whitaker, ca 1870s.jpg	21 April 1882	25 September 1883	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Whitaker
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	7	Edward Conolly	File:Edward Tennyson Conolly, circa 1892.jpg	25 September 1883	16 August 1884	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Atkinson
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(6)	Robert Stout	File:Robert Stout, 1885.jpg	16 August 1884	8 October 1887	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Stout
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(1)	Frederick Whitaker	File:Frederick Whitaker, ca 1870s.jpg	11 October 1887	24 January 1891	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Atkinson
height=50 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	8	Patrick Buckley	File:Patrick Alphonsus Buckley.jpg	24 January 1891	20 December 1895	style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	Ballance
height=50 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	Seddon
rowspan=3 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	9	Albert Pitt	File:Albert Pitt.jpg	22 June 1903	18 November 1906	height=30 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|						Hall-Jones
style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						Ward
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	10	John Findlay	File:John George Findlay.jpg	18 November 1906	26 December 1911		style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	-	Josiah Hanan Template:Small	File:Josiah Alfred Hanan, ca 1908.jpg	28 March 1912	10 July 1912	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Mackenzie
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	11	Alexander Herdman	File:Alexander Herdman.jpg	10 July 1912	4 February 1918	style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	Massey
rowspan=3 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	12	Francis Bell	File:Francis Bell.jpg	4 February 1918	18 January 1926	height=40 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|
height=15 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|						Bell
height=15 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						Coates
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	13	William Downie Stewart Jr	File:William Downie Stewart.jpg	18 January 1926	24 May 1926		rowspan=2 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	14	Frank Rolleston	File:Frank Rolleston.jpg	24 May 1926	10 December 1928
height=50 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	15	Thomas Sidey	File:Thomas Kay Sidey.jpg	10 December 1928	22 September 1931	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color;"|	Ward
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color;"|	Forbes
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color;"|	(13)	William Downie Stewart Jr	File:William Downie Stewart.jpg	22 September 1931	28 January 1933	rowspan=2 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color;"|
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color;"|	16	George Forbes	File:George William Forbes.jpg	28 January 1933	6 December 1935
rowspan=2 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	17	Rex Mason	File:Rex Mason.jpg	6 December 1935	13 December 1949	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Savage
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|						Fraser
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	18	Clifton Webb	File:Clifton Webb.jpg	13 December 1949	26 November 1954	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Holland
height=15 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	19	Jack Marshall	File:Jack Marshall 1951.jpg	26 November 1954	12 December 1957
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Holyoake
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(17)	Rex Mason	File:Rex Mason.jpg	12 December 1957	12 December 1960	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Nash
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	20	Ralph Hanan	File:Ralph Hanan portrait.jpg	12 December 1960	22 December 1969	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Holyoake
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(19)	Jack Marshall	File:Jack Marshall, 1972.jpg	22 December 1969	2 February 1971
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	21	Dan Riddiford	File:Dan Riddiford.jpg	2 February 1971	9 February 1972
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	22	Roy Jack	File:Roy Jack.jpg	9 February 1972	8 December 1972	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Marshall
rowspan=2 style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	23	Martyn Finlay	File:Martyn Finlay, 1968.jpg	8 December 1972	12 December 1975	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Kirk
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|						Rowling
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	24	Peter Wilkinson	File:No image.png	12 December 1975	13 December 1978	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Muldoon
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	25	Jim McLay	File:Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT - Flickr - The Official CTBTO Photostream (18).jpg	13 December 1978	26 July 1984
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	26	Geoffrey Palmer	File:Geoffrey Palmer.jpg	26 July 1984	4 August 1989	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Lange
height=70 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	27	David Lange	File:David Lange (cropped).jpg	4 August 1989	2 November 1990	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Palmer
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Moore
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	28	Paul East	File:Paul East crop.jpg	2 November 1990	5 December 1997	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Bolger
height=15 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	29	Doug Graham	File:No image.png	5 December 1997	10 December 1999
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Shipley
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	30	Margaret Wilson	File:Margaret Wilson crop.jpg	10 December 1999	28 February 2005	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Clark
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	31	Michael Cullen	File:Michael Cullen, 2008.jpg	28 February 2005	19 October 2005
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	32	David Parker	File:Hon David Parker.jpg	19 October 2005	21 March 2006
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	(31)	Michael Cullen	File:Michael Cullen, 2008.jpg	21 March 2006	19 November 2008
height=90 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	33	Chris Finlayson	File:Chris Finlayson-Net Hui 2011.jpg	19 November 2008	26 October 2017	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Key
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	English
height=50 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|	(32)	David Parker	File:Hon David Parker.jpg	26 October 2017	27 November 2023	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Ardern
height=15 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:Template:Party color"|						style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Hipkins
style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	34	Judith Collins	File:COLLINS, Judith - Papakura (cropped).png	27 November 2023	Incumbent	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color"|	Luxon

External links

• Briefing papers to incoming attorneys-general, Crown Law Office