The Duchess of Cambridge paid tribute to her royal tour hosts tonight as she dazzled in an evening dress embroidered with silver ferns.
Kate, 31, wore a bespoke black Jenny Packham dress which had been hand-stitched with silver beading to represent New Zealand's national emblem.
The Queen has long employed the trick of incorporating an item of national importance in her outfits when on foreign tours - and it appears that the Duchess has now taken a leaf out of her book.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a state dinner at Government House in Wellington, which was attended by the country's political leaders
Stunning: TheDuchess of Cambridge dazzled in a black gown by Jenny Packham with silver beading as she joined Prince William at a lavish State Reception
She and Prince William were attending a lavish State Reception thrown this evening by Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae, the Queen’s representative in New Zealand, at his official residence, Government House.
Although it was not a ‘tiara-worthy’ occasion, the reception is still one of the glitziest engagements of their three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia and all eyes were on the dazzling Duchess.
On their arrival back in Wellington following a day out in Blenheim, William had a few minutes to freshen up before almost immediately going into calls in the Liverpool Room with the leader of the opposition, David Cunliffe and the Prime Minister John Key.
Each meeting lasted around 20 minutes before the prince retired to the State Apartments to join his wife who was dressing for the evening.
William was also presented with a set of the commemorative stamps being issued tomark the tour by the New Zealand Post.
At 6.45pm the couple came down a grand wooden staircase together to be greeted by the Governor General, Sir Jerry, his wife, Lady Janine, and Mr Key and his wife Bronagh.
The Duchess of Cambridge smiles in front of the portrait of the Queen, which was unveiled at a reception at Government House in Wellington
A new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by New Zealand artist Nick Cuthell was commissioned for the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. For the reception the Duchess of Cambridge wore a bespoke black Jenny Packham gown with an embellished fern on the shoulder in tribute to her New Zealand hosts
Kate stands next to the painting of Queen Elizabeth II that was unveiled at the state reception on Thursday
They then undertook a lengthy line up, shaking the hands of each of their 198 guests, comprised of senior politicians, MPs and notable figures from public life including the Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias, and the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Christine Chretien.
William and Kate were next ushered into the Blundell Room - where their son George, who was sleeping upstairs with his nanny, had played on the carpet just a day earlier - for official photographs.
Finally it was time to join their guests for a glass of local wine and some stunning canapés showing off the best of local produce in the Ballroom, heralded by a flourish of trumpets from the six-strong Lance of Trumpeters.
On the menu was parmesan and horopito shortbreads with Zany Zeus Feta and heirloom tomato, smoked and potted Lake Taupo trout with oatcakes and capers, oysters on ice with shallot and Chardonnay vinaigrette, braised Cardorona Merino lamb tarts with fresh mint, tomato and black olive. There were also cocktail Paua fritters with garlic mayonnaise and pickled ginger, dressed Waikanae crab toasts with lime and herbs, Windsor Blue and beetroot risotto balls with green herb mayonnaise, South Island rabbit pies and custard tarts with kiwifruit and kaffir lime.
As the guests mingled, chatted and sipped on chilled local wine, the Royal New Zealand Air Force jazz quintet played a selection of lively tunes including Nina Simone's My Baby Just Cares For Me.
The Duchess of Cambridge's dress had hand-stitched silver beading on the shoulder in the pattern of a fern, New Zealand's national emblem
Kate and William shared a moment together during the state reception at Government House in Wellington
The duchess chatted to guests at the state reception, which comes at the beginning of her three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand with husband William
WHAT SHE WORE: KATE PAYS TRIBUTE IN SILVER FERN DRESS
The state dinner was one of the glitziest events on the tour of Australia and New Zealand and Kate turned to trusted favourite, Jenny Packham, to design her dress.
The black gown featured a fern in silver beading on the shoulder – the unofficial symbol of New Zealand, which appears on the New Zealand one dollar coin and in the insignia of a range of New Zealand sporting teams.
This isn't the first time Kate has paid tribute to her host country; Kate famously wore a red hat decorated with maple leaves, the official symbol of Canada, on Canada Day during her visit there in 2011.
She complemented the gown with blue court shoes – a wardrobe staple for the Duchess – and wore her hair in trademark flowing waves.
The last time Kate wore a Jenny Packham creation was at a black tie gala at the National Portrait Gallery in February.
Jenny Packham also created the blue polka-dot dress worn by the Duchess after she left hospital with newborn Prince George.
Prince William began his speech by speaking Maori and joked afterwards 'no mistakes just yet!'
He said: 'Rau rangatira mā o Aotearoa, tēnā koutou katoa.'
Translated this meant: Distinguished people of New Zealand, greetings to you all.
He continued: 'Thank you also for hosting Catherine, George and me during our time in New Zealand. I hope that George doesn’t keep you up! He's at his most vocal at 3am, as you may have noticed - I swear I heard him doing the haka this morning. He's a bonny lad and you'll be pleased to know that he's currently preparing for life as a prop forward!
'I cannot tell you how happy I am to be back here in God’s Own Country – as I have learned to call it – and this time with my wife and son.
'When I returned to New Zealand for the first time as an adult in 2005, I came mainly to watch the All Blacks against the British and Irish Lions – the best way to be introduced to this sports-passionate nation.
'In subsequent visits, my affection and admiration for New Zealand has only deepened. '
He continued: 'On this visit, I have no doubt that it will be Catherine – and not just me – who falls for New Zealand.
'The qualities that New Zealanders share in common with one another – warm-heartedness, generosity, neighbourliness, openness, an instinctive sense of justice and freedom, to name just a few – are qualities that I suspect – given your modesty – you may take for granted. But they are qualities for which New Zealanders are admired the world over.'
Turning to his grandmother's portrait he added: 'Her Majesty is portrayed wearing her silver fern brooch, which provides a simple but clear reminder of
Her Majesty’s deep affection for the people of New Zealand.
'Kia ora tātou katoa (Greetings to us all).'
Kate followed in the sartorial footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II, who is known to incorporate items of national importance in her outfits when on foreign tours, by wearing a black gown with a silver fern embellished in the shoulder
Kate shares a joke with Nick Cuthell (left), the artist of the royal portrait, and Prime Minister John Key (centre) during the state reception at Government House
Kate and William revealed the new painting of the monarch, which will hang in the the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. The painting was financed by a group of young people who also selected the artist
What do you think? The new portrait was subjected to close scrutiny by the Duke and Duchess
Prince William delivered a speech beneath an older portrait of his grandmother (left) while Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae looked on. The new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by New Zealand artist Nick Cuthell was unveiled at the reception (right).
The Duchess looked refreshed as she attended the dinner, which fell on the fourth day of the royal tour
To the queen! John Key (left) and Governor-General Jerry Mateparae (right) joined the Duke and Duchess in a toast after the portrait was unveiled
THE MAN WHO PAINTED THE QUEEN: WHO IS NICK CUTHELL?
The 34-year-old Wellington artist was selected to paint the portrait, which will hang in the National Portrait Gallery of New Zealand.
Mr Cuthell was granted an audience with the Queen in October. She sat for him for an hour in Buckingham Palace.
The young artist previously dated Sir Ian McKellen, whom he met while the actor was filming the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and he accompanied McKellen to the Oscars in 2002.
The artist has painted McKellen, as well as the rest of the cast of The Hobbit. He is a regular finalist in the biennial Adam Portrait Award.
Cuthell told The New Zealand Herald that he greatly enjoyed meeting the Queen, whom he described as intelligent, funny and ‘extremely elegant’.
‘She just looked fantastic, which made my job that much easier.’
After his speech, Prince William unveiled a portrait of his grandmother by a New Zealand artist.
In September 2012 the New Zealand Portrait Gallery commissioned a portrait of The Queen for their permanent collection to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee.
A group of young people pledged funds to finance the portrait and picked a young artist, Nick Cuthell.
Cuthell had a sitting with The Queen in the UK in October 2013.
Described as an emerging artist who divides his time between the UK and NZ, much of his art practice is dedicated to portraiture.
In 2009 in London, he was commissioned to paint the director and cast of the Theatre Royal's production of Waiting for Godot and more recently he was commissioned to paint the official portrait of Dr Alan Bollard, the departing Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
The NZ Portrait Gallery holds in trust for the nation a collection of portraits, which reflect the history, development, events and personalities of the country.
The Duke, in a smart dark suit, arrived in the Liverpool Room at Government House and was greeted by Leader of the Opposition/Labour Party, Hon David Cunliffe, who presented William with a piece of local art by local artist Nick Cuthell. The plaque-like item featured inscribed markings on a metal sheer. It had three distinctive Koru leaves on it.
'That's very kind of you,' William told Cunliffe. 'The colours and detail are wonderful.'
Cunliffe went on to explain the symbolism of the Koru leaves, saying that it had many meanings including harmony, new beginnings and nurturing.
'It's beautiful,' William smiled. 'Thank you.'
Prince William mingled with guests. He addressed the reception and began his speech with a Maori greeting
You painted what? Kate chatted with the artist of the new portrait of the queen, Nick Cuthell, during the state reception in Wellington on Thursday night
William and Kate share a joke with guests during the state reception at Government House in Wellington
The pair then sat down on studded leather armchairs to talk. 'Did you enjoy seeing our arrival in Blenheim today?' William asked.
William laughed: 'We haven't done so well with the weather.'
He also spoke of the importance of their visit to Blenheim today, adding: 'To get to Blenheim finally was poignant for me.'
The Duke then went on to talk about their visit to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre 'The whole museum is incredible,' he remarked. 'It's so important to keep the linkage of the generations...'
Later as he chatted to Prime Minister John Key, he said: 'I can't believe our luck with the timing of this weather (but) It'll keep the dairy farmers happy.'
He also revealed his excitement about their winery visit in Queenstown later this week. 'We drove by a vineyard (in Blenheim) today and I am already getting quite thirsty,' he laughed.
The Duke also seemed excited about taking on his wife at a boat race tomorrow in Auckland. 'There will be a bit of competition tomorrow,' he smiled. 'A bit of healthy competition.'
The Duke and Duchess arrive for the art unveiling ceremony accompanied by Governor-General Jerry Mateparae and his wife Janine
Earlier on Thursday, Prince William met with John Key, prime minister of New Zealand. This is the fourth day of the royal tour of Australia and New Zealand
Prince William met with various political leaders throughout the afternoon, including David Cunliffe, the Labour Party leader
'The colours and detail are wonderful': Prince William was given a piece of art from a local artist. The plaque-like item had three Koru leaves on it etched into it
Greeting the locals: Prince William chats with children during a walkabout in Seymour Square in Blenheim, New Zealand on Thursday
A special delivery: Prince William received a bunch of flowers from two little girls in Seymour Square in Blenheim, New Zealand
Action packed day: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim, New Zealand, alongside Peter Jackson earlier today
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