MEDIA RELEASE: The Reserve Bank’s decision to put Charles on our coins is a missed opportunity
MEDIA RELEASE: The Reserve Bank’s decision to put Charles on our coins is a missed opportunity
MEDIA RELEASE: The Reserve Bank’s decision to put Charles on our coins is a missed opportunity
At the outset New Zealand’s free trade agreement negotiation with the United Kingdom, we were told that having a "shared head of state" would help get an agreement in place. Recent reports on the negotiations indicate that that clearly isn't the case - the British monarchy does nothing for us in terms of trade, military links or anything of any practical use, really. It has no benefits to New Zealand.
A fascinating general election result is currently playing out in Samoa. The two main parties are tied on 25 seats each in a 51 seat Samoan Fono, with one independent MP potentially holding the balance of power. Vote counting is continuing so the final result may change, with one of the major parties picking up another seat to break the tie. If the FAST Party wins a majority, Samoa will have its first female head of government.
Samoa’s head of state is appointed by the Fono, and under the Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa states:
the Head of State shall appoint as Prime Minister to preside over Cabinet a Member of Parliament who commands the confidence of a majority of the Members of Parliament;
It will be fascinating to see how the results come in, and how the head of state appoints the next Prime Minister. I’m sure that what we will see is a clear non-partisan decision, regardless of the fact the head of state is appointed by the Fono.
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.
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