Rt. Hon. Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister of New Zealand

Hello and welcome to the New Zealand portal of the Commonwealth of Nations website.

We are proud of our membership of the Commonwealth and the common values we share with other members.

I hope you will explore this portal and learn a little about New Zealand. We offer fantastic opportunities for visitors, international students, businesses, and investors – from our stunning scenery and world-class food and wine, to our unique Maori culture, and the ingenuity and can-do attitude of our people. For more information, please visit www.newzealand.com.

We would love to welcome you to our home and show you around.

Best wishes.

New Zealand government website www.beehive.govt.nz

The above message was provided by the previous Prime Minister.

New Zealand in the Commonwealth

did you know?

• New Zealand was a founder member of the Commonwealth in 1931 when its independence was recognised under the Statute of Westminster
• New Zealand has been competing in the Commonwealth Games since 1930, and has won an impressive 530 medals over that time
• Four New Zealanders have won Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes: Witi Ihimaera in 1987; Janet Frame in 1989; John Cranna in 1990 (Best First Book); and Lloyd Jones in 2007
• Scholarships and fellowships are awarded by New Zealand to citizens of other Commonwealth countries under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
• Transparency International ranks New Zealand as the least corrupt country in the world

Senior Commonwealth officers

• Don McKinnon, Commonwealth Secretary-General 2000-08
• Simon Gimson, Director, Office of the Commonwealth Secretary-General
• Denis Marshall, Secretary-General, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association 2001-06
• Zena Daysh, Founder and Executive Vice-Chair, Commonwealth Human Ecology Council
• Marion Cowden, Director of Corporate Services, Commonwealth Secretariat 2003

Commonwealth meetings hosted

• 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, South Island
• 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, North Island
• 1995 CHOGM, resulting in the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration: this provides an operating structure for the two central declarations – the Declaration of Commonwealth Principles and the Harare Commonwealth Declaration.
• 2007 The fourth Commonwealth Local Government Conference held in Auckland, with theme ‘delivering development through local leadership’