Attorney-General (New Zealand) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Attorney-General of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand
Coat of arms of New Zealand
Incumbent Judith Collins since 27 November 2023
Crown Law Office Parliamentary Counsel Office Serious Fraud Office
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Cabinet of New Zealand Executive Council
Reports to	Prime Minister of New Zealand
Seat	Wellington
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	Governor-General of New Zealand on the advice of the prime minister
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	7 May 1856
First holder	Frederick Whitaker
Salary	$288,900
Website	www.beehive.govt.nz

The Attorney-General (also called Rōia Matua in Māori) is a very important job in New Zealand. This person is both a government minister and the country's chief legal advisor. They help make sure New Zealand's laws are followed and give legal advice to the government. The current Attorney-General is Judith Collins.

What the Attorney-General Does

The Attorney-General has two main roles.

Helping Government Departments

First, the Attorney-General is in charge of several important legal offices. These include the Crown Law Office, the Parliamentary Counsel Office, and the Serious Fraud Office. These offices help create and enforce New Zealand's laws.

Chief Legal Advisor

Second, the Attorney-General is the main legal officer for the New Zealand government. They make sure the government follows the law. They also give legal advice to the government on many different topics. This includes making sure New Zealand follows its own laws and international agreements.

The Attorney-General gets help from another important official called the Solicitor-General. This person is not involved in politics. This helps make sure the legal advice given is fair and not influenced by political opinions. The Attorney-General also advises the Governor-General on who should become judges in New Zealand's courts.

History of the Role

The job of Attorney-General has been around since New Zealand became its own separate colony in 1856. It is different from the Minister of Justice, even though sometimes one person holds both jobs. For example, Martyn Finlay held both roles from 1972 to 1975.

Who Can Be Attorney-General?

In the past, the Attorney-General could be a politician or a senior judge. Today, the person holding this job is always a member of Parliament. The Attorney-General is also part of the Executive Council and usually a member of the Cabinet.

Traditionally, people chosen for this role have been lawyers. However, a few people who were not lawyers have held the position. One example is Dr. Michael Cullen, who was Attorney-General from 2005 to 2008.

List of Attorneys-General

Key

  Independent   Liberal   Reform   United   Labour   National

No.		Name	Portrait	Term of office		Prime Minister
	1	Frederick Whitaker		7 May 1856	20 May 1856		Sewell
	2	William Fox		20 May 1856	2 June 1856		Fox
	(1)	Frederick Whitaker		2 June 1856	12 July 1861		Stafford
	(2)	William Fox		12 July 1861	2 August 1861		Fox
	3	Henry Sewell		2 August 1861	6 August 1862
	4	Thomas Gillies		6 August 1862	23 August 1862		Domett
	(3)	Henry Sewell		23 August 1862	1 January 1863
	(1)	Frederick Whitaker		1 January 1863	24 November 1864
							Whitaker
	(3)	Henry Sewell		24 November 1864	16 October 1865		Weld
	5	James Prendergast		16 October 1865	1 September 1876		Stafford
	(1)	Frederick Whitaker		1 September 1876	13 October 1877		Atkinson
	6	Robert Stout		13 October 1877	8 October 1879		Grey
	(1)	Frederick Whitaker		21 April 1882	25 September 1883		Whitaker
	7	Edward Conolly		25 September 1883	16 August 1884		Atkinson
	(6)	Robert Stout		16 August 1884	8 October 1887		Stout
	(1)	Frederick Whitaker		11 October 1887	24 January 1891		Atkinson
	8	Patrick Buckley		24 January 1891	20 December 1895		Ballance
							Seddon
	9	Albert Pitt		22 June 1903	18 November 1906
							Hall-Jones
							Ward
	10	John Findlay		18 November 1906	26 December 1911
	-	Josiah Hanan acting		28 March 1912	10 July 1912		Mackenzie
	11	Alexander Herdman		10 July 1912	4 February 1918		Massey
	12	Francis Bell		4 February 1918	18 January 1926
							Bell
							Coates
	13	William Downie Stewart Jr		18 January 1926	24 May 1926
	14	Frank Rolleston		24 May 1926	10 December 1928
	15	Thomas Sidey		10 December 1928	22 September 1931		Ward
							Forbes
	(13)	William Downie Stewart Jr		22 September 1931	28 January 1933
	16	George Forbes		28 January 1933	6 December 1935
	17	Rex Mason		6 December 1935	13 December 1949		Savage
							Fraser
	18	Clifton Webb		13 December 1949	26 November 1954		Holland
	19	Jack Marshall		26 November 1954	12 December 1957
							Holyoake
	(17)	Rex Mason		12 December 1957	12 December 1960		Nash
	20	Ralph Hanan		12 December 1960	22 December 1969		Holyoake
	(19)	Jack Marshall		22 December 1969	2 February 1971
	21	Dan Riddiford		2 February 1971	9 February 1972
	22	Roy Jack		9 February 1972	8 December 1972		Marshall
	23	Martyn Finlay		8 December 1972	12 December 1975		Kirk
							Rowling
	24	Peter Wilkinson		12 December 1975	13 December 1978		Muldoon
	25	Jim McLay		13 December 1978	26 July 1984
	26	Geoffrey Palmer		26 July 1984	4 August 1989		Lange
	27	David Lange		4 August 1989	2 November 1990		Palmer
							Moore
	28	Paul East		2 November 1990	5 December 1997		Bolger
	29	Doug Graham		5 December 1997	10 December 1999
							Shipley
	30	Margaret Wilson		10 December 1999	28 February 2005		Clark
	31	Michael Cullen		28 February 2005	19 October 2005
	32	David Parker		19 October 2005	21 March 2006
	(31)	Michael Cullen		21 March 2006	19 November 2008
	33	Chris Finlayson		19 November 2008	26 October 2017		Key
							English
	(32)	David Parker		26 October 2017	27 November 2023		Ardern
							Hipkins
	34	Judith Collins		27 November 2023	Incumbent		Luxon