Governor of the Pitcairn Islands
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The Governor of the Pitcairn Islands is the representative of the British crown in the Pitcairn Islands, which are the last remaining British territory in the Pacific Ocean. They have considerable local autonomy, but are under the authority of the colonial Governor.
Because of the dependency's small population (it peaked at 233 in the 1930s, and has since dwindled to 56), the British never considered it worthwhile to station a resident Governor on Pitcairn. Instead, the Governor of Fiji doubled as Governor of Pitcairn from 1898 onwards. When Fiji became independent in 1970, the governorship of Pitcairn was transferred to the British High Commissioner to New Zealand. The office is currently held by Jonathan Sinclair.
Throughout most of its history, the authority of the British Governor was, in practice, nominal. However, Richard Fell, Governor of the Pitcairn Islands between 2001 and 2006, used the authority vested in him to dismiss the Mayor Steve Christian, involved in the Pitcairn rape trial of 2004.
See also
- List of rulers of the Pitcairn Islands, for local rulers since 1790
- List of Governors of Fiji, for governors from 1898 until 1970
- List of British High Commissioners to New Zealand, for governors since 1970
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