Mana Motuhake

Independence

We like to think our country as independent. In almost every aspect it is. Currently, New Zealand's head of state does not represent this.

A New Zealand citizen as head of state affirms our independence and represents all of us

Our current head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, is not a New Zealand citizen and does not represent New Zealand to the world. The Queen represents Great Britain.

The Queen works to strengthen British economic and political ties, and does whatever the British Government asks of her. In fact, whenever "our" head of state visits New Zealand, the Queen has to ask for permission from the British Government to leave Britain.

The Queen has a representative in New Zealand, the Governor-General. Since the late 1960s the Governor-General has always been a New Zealander. Sometimes the Governor-General is called our “de facto” head of state by historians and political scientists. But the Governor-General is not a proper head of state. While the Governor-General may increasingly act in ways we expect our head of state to act, they are still not our actual head of state.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister having the ability to appoint the Queen's representative in New Zealand is inadequate. A New Zealand citizen as head of state will make it clear that New Zealand is an independent country. It will signal New Zealand's independence and maturity to the world.

An independent head of state will be one that works for all New Zealanders. It is important that the office of head of state remains separate from the many political parties and causes that New Zealanders support. While this is largely a symbolic change - practically it means the Governor-General would become our actual head of state - symbols matter, especially when it comes to representing who we as a nation are to the world.

Kotahitanga -Unity

Aotearoa is a unique, dynamic and diverse country. New Zealand's constitutional arrangements, national symbols and head of state should reflect this.

A New Zealand citizen as head of state affirms our sense of nationhood

A New Zealand citizen as head of state will foster a deeper and more sophisticated sense of nationhood among all New Zealand citizens. It will clarify to New Zealanders, and to the world, what New Zealand stands for.

How New Zealanders understand their place in the world is crucial to our success in an increasingly globalised world. New Zealand excels in sport, in its human rights record, in business and in the arts. New Zealand's constitution lags behind these achievements. Our current constitutional arrangement cause confusion overseas as to whether New Zealand is linked to Britain, or whether it is part of Australia. We send conflicting messages about who we are and what we stand for.

A change to our head of state will affirm the values that are important to New Zealanders. It will promote discussion about New Zealand's history and future. It will clarify the values we all see as important. A New Zealand citizen as head of state will be a celebration of our unique culture and heritage. It will demonstrate New Zealand's confidence and independence and it will symbolise a shared sense of nationhood.

Manapori - Democracy

A New Zealand citizen as head of state will make New Zealand more democratic

A New Zealand citizen as our head of state will ensure we have a head of state that is democratically elected and accountable to voters. As a result the head of state will be a more effective constitutional safeguard. This will decrease the risk of political instability.

The head of state is meant to represent our country. A democratically chosen head of state aligns with New Zealand’s values much more clearly than a hereditary monarch does. A New Zealand head of state would be elected — either directly by voters, or indirectly by parliament.

Replacing the Governor-General

At present, the Prime Minister chooses the Governor-General and advises the Monarch of their choice, after brief (sometimes no more than a phone call!) consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, ignoring other parties in parliament. The Prime Minister usually chooses someone who will not challenge them, and someone who has something to do with their own party.

In the past, this has meant a number of openly political appointments. National Prime Minister Jack Marshall gave his friend Sir Denis Blundell the job in 1972. In 1977, Robert Muldoon appointed former Prime Minister Sir Keith Holyoake to the job. This was primarily because the next best candidate, Sir Edmund Hillary, had signed a petition in 1975 supporting then Labour Prime Minister Bill Rowling. In 1985, Labour Prime Minister David Lange appointed the Reverend Sir Paul Reeves. Sir Paul was known for his activism for the anti-apartheid and anti-nuclear movements. Dame Catherine Tizard was appointed to the office in 1990 by the outgoing Labour Government. She was the former wife of Labour Deputy Prime Minister Bob Tizard. Sir Michael Hardie Boys, Governor-General from 1996 to 2001, was a known constitutional conservative with National Party leanings.

While individually there have been good appointments made, there have also been a number of openly political appointments. Many of those, particularly the appointment of Sir Keith Holyoake, were very controversial. Creating a transparent democratic process will ensure that the replacement of the Governor-General will not be as controversial. Both direct election of the head of state, or parliamentary election of the head of state, will be superior to the status quo, where effectively only the Prime Minister gets a choice.

The Monarch is an absentee and ineffectual head of state. In the many constitutional crisis throughout the Commonwealth, the monarch has stayed aloof and uninvolved, or kept involvement as low-key as possible.

Our current head of state is unaccountable to New Zealanders. With a New Zealand citizen as head of state, the position will be chosen by New Zealanders. They will work on behalf of all New Zealanders regardless of their political beliefs.

For more detail on what we specifically campaign for, and our proposed process, see our policy statement.