New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary is the

officer of arms An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions: * to control and initiate armorial matters; * to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state; * to conserve a ...

responsible for the regulation of heraldry in

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 count ...

. Although affiliated with the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the New Zealand Herald lives and works in New Zealand, and is not a member of the College Chapter. The current New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary is Phillip Patrick O’Shea.

Historical background

Consideration was given in 1975 to establishing an independent heraldic authority in New Zealand. In particular there were proposals for a new provincial king of arms, titled New Zealand King of Arms, to be under the

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

and Garter Principal King of Arms. This would have been an officer of arms in ordinary and a part of the corporation of the College of Arms. It was decided however to continue to use the College of Arms. On 6 February 1978, Phillip Patrick O'Shea was appointed as the first New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary to Her Majesty Queen

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 during ...

. The appointment was made by royal warrant of the

Queen of New Zealand The monarchy of New Zealand is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of New Zealand. The current monarch, King Charles III, ascended the throne following the death of his mot ...

addressed to the Earl Marshal of England. Having been accomplished in this way, New Zealand Herald's appointment was unlike other extraordinary heralds and more akin to that of officers of arms in ordinary. The warrant of appointment has not been published in the ''

New Zealand Gazette The ''New Zealand Gazette'' ( mi, Te Kāhiti o Aotearoa), commonly referred to as ''Gazette'', is the official newspaper of record (Government gazette) of the New Zealand Government. Published since 1840, it is the longest-running publication i ...

''.

Heraldic duties

Unlike some other Commonwealth countries with their own local heraldic authorities, armorial ensigns in New Zealand continue to be granted by the

Kings of Arms King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings and sometimes certify genealogies and noble titles. In other traditions, the power has been de ...

of the College of Arms in

. New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary has no autonomous power to grant arms. However, New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary advises the New Zealand Government on heraldic matters, represents the College of Arms in New Zealand, is deputy in that country to Garter Principal King of Arms, and is ''ex officio'' a member of the Royal Household. The current New Zealand Herald Extraordinary was also appointed the Herald of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

on its institution in 1996. Since the creation of the office of New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary in 1978, letters patent issued through by the College of Arms to New Zealanders have de-emphasised their English character. Thus, the Earl Marshal is simply noted as "Earl Marshal" rather than "Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England". In the same way, the Queen's New Zealand royal style has been used rather than that of the United Kingdom. The appointment of New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary does not affect the jurisdiction of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms to grant coats of arms to citizens of New Zealand of Scottish descent or, to matriculate a coat of arms in favour of a New Zealander petitioner where they have a right of succession to those arms or a differenced version of that coat of arms.

Ceremonial duties

The New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary attends the Governor-General (or the Sovereign, if present) on ceremonial occasions which include the swearing-in of a new Governor-General, investitures of Royal honours, and the ceremonial opening of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. Since at least 2002 the New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary has been the person appointed by the Governor-General to proclaim the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

of Parliament. At a ceremony held on the steps of Parliament on 11 September 2022, Herald of Arms Extraordinary Phillip O'Shea was the one to read out the proclamation of accession for King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

in English. NZ Proclamation of Accession 2022

When performing duties the New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary wears

morning dress Morning dress, also known as formal day dress, is the formal Western dress code for day attire, consisting chiefly of, for men, a morning coat, waistcoat, and formal trousers, and an appropriate gown for women. Men may also wear a popular va ...

together with the chains of office and holding a herald's baton. The

tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more develope ...

of the Royal Arms are only worn at ceremonial occasions when in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

together with the other heralds; the most recent occasion being at the

Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant was a parade on 3 June 2012 of 670 boats on the Tideway of the River Thames in London as part of the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The Queen, Prince Philip and other members of th ...

in 2012.

Badge of office

The badge of office of New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary is blazoned ''A complex Māori Koru coloured in the traditional manner proper ensigned by a representation of the Royal Crown also proper''. The

koru The ''koru'' () is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. Its shape "conveys the id ...

design is used to decorate the rafters of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

meeting houses, where important ceremonies take place, and it is also found on a number of objects at these

ceremonial A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular ...

gatherings. The loops and coils of the koru also represent the complex Māori

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

tree of the

whakapapa Whakapapa (, ), or genealogy, is a fundamental principle in Māori culture. Reciting one's whakapapa proclaims one's Māori identity, places oneself in a wider context, and links oneself to land and tribal groupings and the mana of those. Exp ...

. Māori genealogy is based for the most part on oral evidence and tradition, and in art the koru is used to represent this.

Holders of the office

References

;Citations: ;Bibliography: *Squibb, George, "Heraldic Authority in the British Commonwealth" (1968) Coat of Arms vol 10 no 76 p 125 *O'Shea, P.P., "The Office of the New Zealand Herald of Arms" (1982) 20 New Zealand Armorist 7 *Macaulay, G.A., "Honours and Arms: Legal and Constitutional Aspects of Practice concerning Heraldry and Royal Honours in New Zealand" (1994) 5 Canterbury Law Review 381 * Innes, Sir Malcolm, of Edingight, "New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary" (1979) 3 Commonwealth Heraldry Bulletin *Innes, Sir Malcolm, of Edingight, "New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary" (1979) 13 Heraldry in Canada 34 * Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, "The Conflict of heraldic laws" (1988) Juridical Review 61 *Cox, Noel, "The Law of Arms in New Zealand" (1998) 18 (2) New Zealand Universities Law Review 1 *Cox, Noel, "The Law of Arms in New Zealand" (2002) 29 Heraldry News, the Journal of Heraldry Australia Inc. 13 *Lambert, Max, "Who’s Who in New Zealand" (1991, Reed, Wellington, 12th edn)

External links

Official Website (New Zealand Government)The College of ArmsCabinet Manual (2008)
on heraldry
Cabinet Manual (2017)
on heraldry

{{Heraldic Authorities Society of New Zealand Offices of the College of Arms New Zealand Royal Honours System New Zealand heraldry Titles held only by one person Offices of arms