Fairfacts Media notes a Stuff report that the Royal family now costs the British taxpayer 69p per year. They get this figure by dividing the official cost of £41.5 million by the population of the United Kingdom (60 million).

Victoria University of Wellington Centre for Public Law is hosting a public lecture by Mai Chen on public law, on Wednesday 22 July 2009 at RHLT2, Rutherford House, Pipitea Campus 15 Lambton Quay, Wellington (map below):

IN THIS EDITION: Happy New Year!; Queen's Counsel Restored; Monarchist League Influences QC Decision; Aussie Senate Rejects Republic Vote; Mt Albert Candidates For A Republic; Poetry: Queen's Birthday In Waitaki; Republican Movement News.

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The Dominion Post argues in an editorial that our national anthem, God Defend New Zealand should be changed. On Thomas Bracken they say:

He was enthusiastic about New Zealand, the land he immigrated to in 1869, he was an enthusiastic propagator of egalitarian ideas and, unfortunately for the All Blacks, he was an enthusiastic scribbler of schoolboy rhymes.

Personally I don't have a problem with God Defend New Zealand. It's our 'other' anthem - God Save the Queen - which grates with me. No, not just because it's about the Queen - because it's also a originally anti-Catholic tune.

The Spanish King and Queen have been visiting New Zealand this week. The Prime Minister and several MPs of the Government and Opposition have met the King of Spain - but not the Governor-General.

The Governor-General's engagement diary for this week shows he's not up to much - in fact all of June he's not really up to much. Does anyone know why this is? It doesn't seem right the Queen's Representative in New Zealand didn't meet the King of Spain.

Mayor of Waitakere Bob Harvey has called for Matariki, the Maori New Year, to replace Queen's Birthday as a public holiday:

“I have long been a supporter of the Matariki revival,” Mr Harvey says. “This is an event that only New Zealand can celebrate. It’s our very own. It is a festival born of our unique heritage, our culture, our land. It is more ‘us’ than our June public holiday, Queen’s Birthday.”

17 June 2009

"The reinstatement of Queen’s Counsel is a backwards step for New Zealand. The Republican Movement is totally opposed to this move" said the chair of the Republican Movement, Lewis Holden.

Most members of the Commonwealth, including all states of Australia, now call their top lawyers Senior Counsel. The decision to reinstate the Imperial title puts New Zealand out of step with fellow Commonwealth members. It also puts all lawyers appointed as Senior Counsel in an awkward position amongst their peers.

"It is foolish in this day and age to be reclaiming the trappings the Empire when polls show most people believe that New Zealand will eventually become a republic.