Building a bigger campaign

Two years ago, members, supporters and would-be supporters alike were wanting to see more detail. People wanted to know how change would happen and what type of republic would work best in New Zealand. It was the start of an increasing need to see change sooner rather than later.

The campaign policy statement available on this website is now central to the widening debate over having a fair and  independent head of state.  It is a clear, alternative vision for a New Zealand republic. A clear plan of what is best for our future as a democracy. 

The priority now is people. The more members of the campaign there are, the more people who donate and give their time to help the cause, the wider the debate will become.  When people hear the reform plans they can see the sense in them. When the myths and misunderstandings about how our current head of state are addressed people are no longer reluctant to let go.

There are still plenty of people demanding to know what the campaign stands for and how the reforms will be achieved. Join the campaign and help spread the message that an independent head of state is best for New Zealand. Invite the people you know to join as well. The more of us working together for change the sooner it will happen.

Make a donation today. Join or renew your membership today at our Membership page.

Keep your eye on those plunket babies!

New Zealanders should note the names of the ten plunket babies chosen to be part of today's royal event. One of them may very well grow up to be New Zealand's head of state.

The New Zealand republic campaign is all about having a New Zealander as New Zealand's head of state. That does not mean only someone born in New Zealand. To be eligible for selection a person would have to be a citizen and live here in New Zealand.

Baby George is as cute as any other baby and he is the focus of a lot of media attention but unfortunately he cannot be New Zealand's future head of state. Not unless one day he moves to New Zealand and becomes a citizen.

Plunket is a distinctly New Zealand organisation and the four Kiwi boys and six Kiwi girls attending the event today at Government house with their parents are all New Zealanders. We are campaigning for reform because we want all of them to enjoy the benefits of growing up in a New Zealand where the head of state is chosen in a fair and open way.

In the New Zealand of tomorrow, the head of state will still be New Zealand's highest public office. To be selected for that office will be the highest accolade any New Zealander could be given.

We wish all the families attending todays event well. One family will leave New Zealand next week and not be back for many years. The rest will grow up in New Zealand and be part of life in an increasingly diverse and dynamic country.

Change is on its way

The PM has said that change is inevitable and there are plenty of people who agree with him. We certainly agree, which is why we are doing what we can to promote our reform plans and let people know the solution to the head of state debate is relatively straight forward: Develop the alternatives then let people vote on what they prefer.

The royal visit this week is a good opportunity for people to discuss the pros and cons of change. Certainly we know that when people hear how it would all work and have their questions answered about the details that they can start to see the sense in it.

If you support the changes we are promoting then why not join us and become a member? Increasing our fundraising and membership is important and we are committed to delivering the best to all New Zealanders.

The news media have been interested to hear more, and talkback yesterday was filled with people debating their experiences and thoughts on our head of state. Visit our fundraiser page at givealittle.co.nz and help us improve our democracy.

Latest Poll: Support for NZ head of state rising

Good news for head of state campaigners in the latest nationwide poll. The poll, by Curia Market Research, was commissioned by New Zealand Republic. It shows support for a New Zealand Head of State has risen to 44%. Support from people aged 18-30 is at now at 66%. Support for using the British Monarchy to provide our next head of state has fallen to 46%. Respondents were also asked whether they preferred direct or indirect election but there was no change in the ratio. There is still a three to one preference for direct election.

The results follow on from the last years poll in April 2013 when support for using the British Monarch was sitting at 52%. Since then the campaign has focused on making sure as many New Zealanders as possible know what the changes will likely entail. Chair of the campaign, Savage, has commented "We have been promoting our blueprint for change, and the need for a referendum, whenever we get a chance".

"We are confident that when New Zealanders are given accurate information they will see there is a need to change how things are done. When they hear and read what we are proposing they can tell there are clear benefits to having a New Zealander in the role".

Former governor-general Dame Catherine Tizard told Fairfax Media she was delighted to hear the figures. "I have been advocating for some time now that we should be as a country making plans for what we propose to do when her majesty is no longer with us," she said.

The poll of 1038 people was conducted between March 3rd and March 18th. It asked respondents "What is your preference for New Zealand's next head of State out of the following three options?

1. The next British Monarch becomes King of New Zealand.
2. New Zealand has a New Zealander as Head of State elected by a two thirds majority in Parliament.
3. New Zealand has a New Zealander as Head of State who is elected by the popular vote.

On current polling 46% preferred to have a King, 11% preferred indirect election and 33% direct election. 10% of people were unsure or undecided. There was a clear age correlation. In the 18-30 age group support for change was at 66% with support at 45% for 31-45 year olds and at 48% for 46 to 60. Support among the 60+ age group was only at 35%.

Sir Don McKinnon: republic is inevitable

Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Sir Don McKinnon has met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles many times and says he is "quite certain" that the royal family understand that it is inevitable that we will one day have our own head of state. He has called for a "open and candid" debate on the matter. You can watch his comments here (from about four minutes in) or get a quick summary of his comments here.

Sir Don revealed that in all there are now six out of 16 Commonwealth realms where there are campaigns or initiatives to transition to a parliamentary republic.

We commend Sir Don for taking the lead on this matter and raising the issue at this important time. We advocate a clear referendum process and our campaign is focused on the establishment of a Constitutional Commission to look at how best to make the change to an NZ Head of State. Such a commission would start by developing two alternative models for nominating and electing a head of state. One involving direct election and the one indirect election (via two-thirds majority) in parliament. How New Zealanders feel about these options will become more apparent when the latest poll is released Monday morning.

Reporters keen to hear our plans

Our latest poll results will be released tomorrow and the news media have been contacting the campaign interested to know what we think of the impending royal visit. Some have been disappointed to hear that we aren't too worried about it

Our campaign is a long term one. We want two referendums held on New Zealand's head of state and we want to win both referendums. A short visit by two members of the British royal family gets people thinking about why we still use the Monarchy to supply us with a head of state but it does not change our campaign's long term goals. Our eyes are firmly on the bigger picture and our plans are all contained in our policy statement.

The royal couple are celebrities and, whether or not you see much sense in that, it is a fact that there are people who are quite looking forward to seeing them in person. Being interested in seeing royality in person and supporting a New Zealand head of state are two different things. It is quite possible to do both. Naturally we question whether spending so much money on the visit is worth the investment from a PR perspective and we question how useful it is to over-hype the event but our main aim is to let as many New Zealanders as possible know that there is a better way to do things. We are not advocating for any kind of 'celebrity head of state' as we don't think it helps our democracy to prosper.

Nothing the royal visitors do while they are here will solve the ongoing head of state problem. The clothes they wear and the places they visit are interesting to some but only a clear and well thought out reform process will deliver results for Kiwis. New Zealanders are quite capable of choosing their own head of state and the poll results out tomorrow show that interest in using the monarchy is beginning to wane.