The debate on a New Zealand head of state continues this week, with a response by Otago University academic Professor Andrew Geddis in The Spinoff: Donald Trump is not a good reason for New Zealand not to become a republic.

Claims about republics and democracy are a bit tiring at this stage of the debate, but they are one of the most repeated set of claims put out in the defence of the monarchy. Studies don’t support these assertions. Take, for example, the Economists’ Democracy Index 2020. The results for the full democracies around the world show that of the 23 full democracies in 2020, only 11 are monarchies.

This is because the strength of a countries’ democracy is not related to whether it is a monarchy or republic. It has to do with whether we - the citizens - make our democracy work, and hold those with power to account. The idea that we need a crown to do this is fanciful and dangerous.