To Our Trusty and Well-beloved The Honourable Dame Silvia Rose Cartwright, Principal Companion of Our New Zealand Order of Merit, Dame Commander of Our Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
GREETING!
I. We do by this Our Commission under the Seal of New Zealand, appoint you, the said The Honourable Dame Silvia Rose Cartwright, to be, during Our pleasure, Our Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Realm of
New Zealand.
II. And We do hereby authorise and empower you to exercise the powers and authorities conferred on Our Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief by Our Letters Patent under the Seal of New Zealand bearing date the 28th day of October 1983 and constituting the office of Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of New Zealand, or by any other Letters Patent, altering, amending, or substituting for the same.
III. And We do hereby command you to do and execute those powers and authorities according to -
(a) The tenor of the said Letters Patent and of this Our Commission; and
(b) Such laws as are now or shall hereafter be in force in Our Realm of New Zealand or in any part thereof.
IV. And We do hereby declare that this Our Commission shall take effect on the 4th day of April 2001.
V. We do hereby direct -
(a) That you shall, as soon as convenient after this Our Commission takes effect, and before entering on any of the duties of the office of Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief, cause this Our Commission to be publicly read in accordance with clause V of the said Letters Patent; and
(b) That you shall, immediately after this Our Commission has been so publicly read, take, as required by the said Letters Patent, -
(i) The Oath of Allegiance; and
(ii) The Oath for the due execution of the office of Governor-General.
VI. We do hereby direct and enjoin Our Ministers of the Crown and other Officers, and all other inhabitants of Our Realm of New Zealand, to take notice of this Our Commission and to comply accordingly.
Given at Our Court at Saint James's and issued under the Seal of New Zealand, this 26th day of March 2001 in the fiftieth year of Our Reign.
By Her Majesty's Command.
[L.S.]
HELEN CLARK, Prime Minister of New Zealand.