39 New Zealand defence ministers

The Minister of Defence is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence.

Sir James Allen was a prominent New Zealand politician and diplomat. He held a number of the most important political offices in the country, including Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was also New Zealand's Minister of Defence during World War I.

Sir Harry Albert Atkinson served as the tenth Premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Colonial Treasurer for a total of ten years. He was responsible for guiding the country during a time of economic depression, and was known as a cautious and prudent manager of government finances, though distrusted for some radical policies such as his 1882 National Insurance (welfare) scheme and leasehold land schemes. He also participated in the formation of voluntary military units to fight in the New Zealand Wars, and was noted for his strong belief in the need for seizure of Māori land.

John Ballance was an Irish-born New Zealand politician who was the 14th Premier of New Zealand, from January 1891 to April 1893, the founder of the Liberal Party, and a Georgist. In 1891 he led his party to its first election victory, forming the first New Zealand government along party lines, but died in office three years later. Ballance supported votes for women. He also supported land reform, though at considerable cost to Māori.

Maxwell Robert Bradford is a former New Zealand politician and cabinet minister. He was an MP for the National Party from 1990 to 2002. He is best known for introducing the "Bright Future" economic initiative in 1999, and for changes to the retail sector of the electricity industry in 1998.

Gerard Anthony Brownlee is a New Zealand politician serving as Deputy Leader of the New Zealand National Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition since 14 July 2020. Brownlee was Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2017 and has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ilam since 1996.

Richard Mark Burton is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party, serving as Minister of Defence, Minister of Justice, Minister of Local Government, Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Deputy Leader of the House, and the Minister Responsible for the Law Commission in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.

John George Cobbe was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party, United Party and the National Party.

Jonathan David Coleman is a former New Zealand politician.

Philip George Connolly was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Warren Ernest Cooper is a former New Zealand politician. He was a National Party MP from 1975 to 1996, holding cabinet positions including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence. Cooper also twice served as Mayor of Queenstown, from 1968 to 1975 and 1995 to 2001.

Paul Clayton East is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Dean Jack Eyre was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Arthur James Faulkner was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Thomas Fergus was a 19th-century New Zealand politician.

William Alex Fraser was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Philip Bruce Goff is the Mayor of Auckland, in office since 2016; previously he was a Member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition between 11 November 2008 and 13 December 2011.

Theodore Minet Haultain was a 19th-century New Zealand politician and Minister of Colonial Defence (1865–69). He came to New Zealand as a soldier and farmed in south Auckland.

Frederick Jones was a New Zealand trade unionist, Member of Parliament and the Defence Minister during World War II. His biographer stated that Jones "...symbolised the ordinary Labour man: modest, hard working, patient, tolerant, and above all, loyal."

Sir Thomas Lachlan Macdonald was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He served in both World Wars. He was a High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Wayne Daniel Mapp is a New Zealand politician, who represented the National Party in the New Zealand Parliament. He served as the MP for the North Shore electorate from the 1996 elections until his retirement in late 2011. Before entering politics, he lectured in commercial law at University of Auckland.

Ron Stanley Mark is a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand First party, and former soldier, who since October 2017 has served as Minister of Defence. He served as mayor of Carterton from 2010 to 2014.

Allan McCready was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Sir Donald McLean was a 19th-century New Zealand politician and government official. He was involved in negotiations between the settler government and Māori from 1844 to 1861, eventually as Native Secretary and Land Purchase commissioner. He was one of the most influential figures in Māori-Pākehā relations in the mid-1800s and was involved in the dispute over the "Waitara Purchase", which led up to the First Taranaki War.

Mark Patrick Mitchell is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is a member of the National Party.

Sir Arthur Mielziner Myers was a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Auckland City from 1905 to 1909, Member of the House of Representatives from 1910 to 1921, and a Cabinet Minister. Today he is remembered mainly for the public works constructed in Auckland during his term as Mayor, and partly from his donations, including Grafton Bridge and Myers Park.

Francis Duncan O'Flynn was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon Albert Pitt was a 19th-century New Zealand politician, and a cabinet minister. In 1914, eight years after his death, The Albert Pitt Memorial Gates were erected in the Queen's Gardens, Nelson.

Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes, usually known as Sir Heaton Rhodes, was a New Zealand politician and lawyer.

Francis Joseph Rolleston was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party.

Sir William Russell Russell was a New Zealand politician from 1870 to 1905. He was a cabinet minister, and was recognised as Leader of the Opposition from 1894 to 1901. Though considered by other politicians to have little sympathy with working people as a major landowner his panache and involvement in local affairs led him to be liked and admired by Hawkes Bay's élite.

Richard John Seddon was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th Premier of New Zealand from 1893 until his death.

William Downie Stewart was a New Zealand Finance Minister, Mayor of Dunedin and writer.

Sir Peter Wilfred Tapsell was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996. He was notable for being the first Māori Speaker, and for being the first Speaker since Bill Barnard in 1943 to hold office while not a member of the governing party.

Thomas Thompson was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party.

David Spence Thomson was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Robert James Tizard was a Labour politician from New Zealand. He served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health and Minister of Defence.

Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, of Wellington, was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and United ministries of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sir Thomas Mason Wilford was a New Zealand politician. He held the seats of Wellington Suburbs then Hutt continuously for thirty years, from 1899 to 1929. Wilford was leader of the New Zealand Liberal Party, and Leader of the Opposition from 1920 to 1925.