Nau Mai, Haere Mai, Welcome

Nominate your head of State!

Chair — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:58:22 +1200

Start: 30/06/2008 - 12:00am

End: 30/06/2008 - 11:59am

Nominations are now open for New Zealand's first head of State - click the banner below to tell us who you think New Zealand's first elected head of State should be:

Queen's representative to Beijing, Prince Charles stays home

Chair — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:19:44 +1200

Earlier this year, Prince Charles gained much publicity for his alleged boycott of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Prince Charles, who has in the past criticised the Chinese leadership, is apparently doing so because of his views on China's occupation of Tibet. Fair enough - HRH is entitled to his own views.

Yet, yesterday's Otago Daily Times reported that the Queen's representative in New Zealand, Governor-General Anand Satyanand, will be travelling to Beijing to support the New Zealand team. You've got to laugh at the absurdity of it: the heir to the throne isn't attending, yet our virtual head of State (who is actually New Zealand's head of State but sure acts like it) is on his way.

"Dismissal's 'fatal' blow to monarchy"

Chair — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:01:08 +1200

The Canberra Times reports Oxford University Professor Iain McLean has stated the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's government in 1975 is a reason to abolish the monarchy.

"An Absolute Republican"

Chair — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:00:03 +1200

This month's edition of Investigate Magazine carries my letter in response to Matt Showering's argument against a New Zealand republic. There's no need to reproduce Mr Wishart's response here, as the gist of it is in my response:

RE: AN ABSOLUTE REPUBLICAN
Dear Ian,
Your response (Vox populi, July 2008) that a "shallow" gene-pool means that a New Zealand head of State would be influenced by the Prime Minister in the same way Governors-General are is nonsense. It is especially so given your claim in Absolute Power that the Governor-General has not kept the Prime Minister in check.

The Tongan coronation - a useful distraction

Chair — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:59:31 +1200

The New Zealand Herald reports more details of next week's coronation of the King of Tonga, George V. The ceremony has been "toned down" to cost a mere NZ$3 million, or a third of New Zealand's aid budget to Tonga, after pro-democracy riots last year.

Coronations are a useful distraction - something politicians and anyone who'se read The English Constitution know all to well. Sir Winston Churchill allegedly wanted Queen Elizabeth's coronation to be closer to the 1955 general election, for example.

John Key and the monarchy

Chair — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:58:22 +1200

Is John Key a monarchist? Would a National-led Government bring back from the dead things like the Queen's Counsel titles, the Queen's Portrait in public buildings, or require kids to learn "God Save the Queen" and generally take a pro-monarchy policy? There's no simple answer to these questions, but there are a couple of clues either way.

Need ideas for a candidate?

Chair — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:57:05 +1200

If you're short on ideas on who to nominate as New Zealand's first head of State, check out The New Zealand Edge's Heroes section. It's a brilliant collection of great New Zealanders who've made a difference around the world.

The Elizabethan case for monarchy

Chair — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:50:15 +1200

Brian Anderton of New Zealand Monarchy nominated Queen Elizabeth II on the President of New Zealand website. Fair enough - Brian's a staunch monarchist, so you'd expect such a nomination. With Brian's permission, we've reproduced his explanation of the nomination below, as it is perhaps the best example of a "Elizabethan" argument for the monarchy: