Editing Prime Minister of New Zealand (section)

=== Principal adviser to the sovereign ===
By constitutional convention, the prime minister holds formal power to [[Advice (constitutional law)|advise]] the sovereign. This means that as long as the prime minister has the confidence of parliament, they alone may advise the monarch on:<ref name="cabinetmanual_pm"/>
* appointment or {{linktext|recall}} of the governor-general{{efn|group= notes|name= recall| No prime minister in New Zealand has ever exercised the power of recall. Three governors were recalled during the colonial period, but on the advice of British ministers.}}
* amendments to the [[Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand|Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General]], which most recently occurred in 2006
* the conferment of [[New Zealand royal honours system|New Zealand honours]] (except for honours in the personal gift of the monarch)