Submitted by LJ Holden on 1 January, 2013 - 16:16
Verity Johnson writes in The New Zealand Herald:
I'm not recklessly republican. I think Britain needs a Queen. I just don't think New Zealand does.
The whole do-we-stay-up-for-the-Queen debate reminded me of another occasion Her Majesty intruded into New Zealand: my citizenship ceremony.
My private school education has trained me to expect every ceremony will be a stuffy English-esque affair; an event with all the bubbliness of a state funeral and double the pomp. But my citizenship ceremony was a diamond occasion; it was a night that crystallised the fun, friendly, free spirit of this country.
So you can imagine my annoyance when I had to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen.
vI could feel The Firm reaffirming its grip on its rebellious Australasian children. We were in danger of forming our independent identity and Britain needed to return to remind us who Daddy was.
I'm 18 and everyone my age wants to know: what does the monarchy actually do for New Zealand?
Our Prime Minister, Governor-General and Finance Minister are all Kiwis. We have our own Parliament, justice system and laws. What do we need from the monarchy except juicy gossip?
When my friends and I discuss it, we can't figure out what the Queen does. She's like a consultant: no one knows what they do.
We're not just being rebellious teenagers, in 2002 58 per cent of Kiwis thought the Queen had little or no relevance to their lives.
An affiliation with the Crown is understandable for previous generations; our grandparents would mostly have had British passports. Our parents at least had trading links with the UK and would have been called "British subjects" until 1977.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 31 December, 2012 - 10:03
The yearly centrepiece of the monarchy continues to underwhelm New Zealanders. The audience for the Queen's speech increased marginally from last year, by just 2%, to 457,650 views on December 25.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 30 December, 2012 - 13:22
Prince Charles wasn't the only foreign dignitary to visit New Zealand in November. For two days the Prince of the Belgians toured New Zealand. For the sake of comparison to the Prince of Wales, we requested the costs to the taxpayer of hosting the Prince of the Belgians.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 26 December, 2012 - 08:00
2012 was the Queen's Jubilee year and one we expected to be a difficult year for the Republican Movement and our campaign for a New Zealand head of State. Difficult because of the hype and media interest in the jubilee.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 24 December, 2012 - 08:09
The Telegraph reports one of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's top spin doctors, James Roscoe, is going to work for Buckingham Palace.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 21 December, 2012 - 18:33
On top of great polling results showing the public unmoved by a $1m publicity tour for Prince Charles, something else has happened: the head of State debate has continued post the main event. This is a great sign for our campaign.
Submitted by Savage on 19 December, 2012 - 07:17
Poll results show that since April undecided voters have swung toward an elected head of state. Charles is sitting at 51%, An elected head of state has risen to 41%.
A big thanks to everyone who donated to our timeforchange.co.nz campaign. It made a difference.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 17 December, 2012 - 21:16
Submitted by LJ Holden on 16 December, 2012 - 21:15
A letter to the editor, on the hoax call fiasco:
Submitted by LJ Holden on 16 December, 2012 - 20:40
The Succession to the Crown Bill 2012 is now online, having been introduced into the UK's parliament. It's no surprise Britain will make the first move - the monarchy is, after all, a British institution, paid for by the British taxpayer.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 14 December, 2012 - 21:17
Dita de Boni writes in today's New Zealand Herald:
Submitted by LJ Holden on 12 December, 2012 - 13:18
The Department of Internal Affairs has finally released the budget and actual costs of their portion of Prince Charles November publicity tour. The budget does not include the costs of flying Charles, Camilla and their entourage of 23 internationally (i.e.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 12 December, 2012 - 07:28
Hardly the greatest example of a democracy, but Fiji is to replace the Queen with the Fijian coat-of-arms on its coins.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 10 December, 2012 - 21:28
Professor Anne Twomey writes on the forthcoming succession law changes, getting deep into the detail of the change required just in Australia. As a federation (like Canada), Australia's states hold some sway over changes to the succession.
Submitted by LJ Holden on 7 December, 2012 - 15:13
Another letter to the editor from The Dominion Post - this time reminding us of a past issue the naysayers were proven wrong on (never mind, a few years later when the Supreme Court opened they had no qualms with it, because they flew Prince William out here a
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