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10 Speaker's office
Panorama of the Speaker's office. The room contains a number of items significant in Parliament's history. The room itself was originally the Cabinet Room, and the panelling of bird's eye maple and walnut was given by the Canadian Government to cement links between the two countries. The desk once belonged to Premier Richard John Seddon. The wigs were worn by the Speaker until 1999.
Speaker
The Speaker is elected by fellow members of Parliament and chairs the House of Representatives. Each sitting day, the Speaker follows the Serjeant-at-Arms into the debating chamber, takes the chair, and reads the prayer to open proceedings. The Speaker decides who speaks when and keeps order throughout the sitting.
The Speaker also:
- oversees parliamentary spending
- chairs the Parliamentary Service Commission
- manages Parliament's buildings and grounds.
Today, the Speaker is impartial, but this wasn't always the case. During Parliament's early years, the Speaker got more involved in debates. From the 1880s, the convention of an impartial Speaker began to develop, and this strengthened in the twentieth century.
Mace
The Mace is an ornate rod symbolising the authority of the House of Representatives. When the House attends to business, the Mace sits on the Table in the debating chamber. When not being used, it stays in the Speaker's office.
Parliament got its first Mace in 1866 - 12 years after the first sitting. However, the writers of parliamentary records referred to it in their reports as if it existed from 1855. Fire destroyed this Mace in 1907.
Today's Mace was obtained in 1909. It is 1.3 metres long, is made of silver and gold, and includes decorations representing the union of the British peoples. The Southern Cross and 'N.Z.' are engraved on a panel.
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