(file image) Queen Elizabeth II prepares to present jockey Ryan Moore, right, the Gold Cup after riding Order of St George to win the main race during Ladies' day at Royal Ascot, June 2016. The Queen's patronage of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association reflected her enduring passion for horse racing. Photo: AFP
Queen Elizabeth II was patron to five New Zealand organisations, including groups which covered her lifelong interests in horse racing and the armed forces.
The Cancer Society, the Medical Association, New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, the Companions of Wellington Cathedral and the Royal NZ Returned and Services Association each had Queen Elizabeth as their patron. RNZ spoke to representatives of those organisations prior to the Queen's death.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association chief executive Justine Sclater said the organisation was privileged and proud to have Queen Elizabeth as its patron.
The Queen's patronage, which began in 1990, was particularly important to the association due to the monarch's lifelong passion for horses, Sclater said.
She was an incredibly successful breeder and owner in the UK, Sclater said. "I don't think people realise how successful she's been to the extent that she has actually bred a winner of every British classic race, which is a massive achievement. I don't know of any other owner has actually achieved that."
The only other equestrian organisation the Queen was patron of was the British Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, Sclater said.
Returned and Services Association national president BJ Clark said when people joined the armed services they swore allegiance to the Sovereign, so the connection with the Queen was very strong.
Queen Elizabeth's actions during WWII showed she understood service, he said. The then Princess Elizabeth spent five months with the Auxiliary Territorial Service and learned basic motor mechanic and driving skills.
"I think as a patron, that's a way of her acknowledging that service," Clark said.
"Her Majesty has been an inspiration to us all, from her unwavering sense of duty to her devotion to a lifetime of service. Her enduring dedication to the RNZRSA, veterans and the Commonwealth's armed forces will be deeply missed and never forgotten," Clark said, following the Queen's death
The only faith-based group the Queen was patron of in New Zealand was the Companions of the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul.
"We are committed to carry out our business in a certain manner that is the befitting of her as the patron," Companions representarive Valerie Whisker said, "We report the annual meeting to her office at Buckingham Palace, and we will duly receive a response to that and a thank you."
It was humbling to think the Queen read each report sent from the Companions, she said.
As head of state the Queen was also head of the New Zealand Defence Force, and all members of the Defence Force swore an allegiance to the monarch and her heirs.
The Queen also held a number of military appointments in New Zealand.
Since 1953 she was the Captain-General of the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery and the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps, and the Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers.
She had been the Air-Commodore-in-chief of the Territorial Air Force of New Zealand since 1954 and Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment since 1964.
A spokesperson for the Defence Force said each appointment signalled that the corps or regiment had established a direct and personal link with Her Majesty, who was to be kept informed of their more important activities and who would visit them during her tours of New Zealand.
