Skip to main content

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Audio file

In 2004 the Speaker of the House of Representatives was Jonathan Hunt, photographed here beside artist Ryuzo Mishida’s portrait of him. The Speaker, who is elected by MPs, determines the proceedings of the House and keeps order. He is also responsible for parliamentary expenditure and running the buildings and grounds. It is important that the Speaker is seen to be impartial in carrying out these duties, particularly in relation to disciplinary action against MPs.

Using this item

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Reference: 234943

Image: National Portrait Gallery – Te Pukenga Whakaata, by David Lewis

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

John Wilson, Nation and government – System of government, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/2475/speaker-of-the-house-of-representatives (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 3 March 2009, updated 1 September 2016.