October 2009 newsletter

IN THIS EDITION: Dunne: Republic In 5 Years, Support for a republic Builds, New Victoria University Group, Review: The New Zealand Republic Handbook, Interview: Vincent O'Sullivan; Republican Movement News.

Dunne: Republic In 5 Years

Peter Dunne speaks at the launch of The New Zealand Republic Handbook.

UNITED FUTURE MP and leader Peter Dunne has set a time line for a New Zealand republic within the next five years. Speaking at the launch of The New Zealand Republic Handbook he proposed a three-stage process, similar to Keith Locke's Head of State (Referenda) Bill:

• A binding referendum as early as next year on whether New Zealanders wished to have their own head of state.
• In the event of a positive outcome, a further binding referendum in 2012 on whether the head of state should be elected or appointed, and to confirm the powers of the head of state.
• The transition to the republic could then occur during the Parliamentary term commencing in 2014, when the new head of state would be chosen and take office.

Mr Dunne said this was a realistic and achievable timetable, which allowed for maximum public involvement.

"My strong personal preference is for an elected non-executive President, along the lines of the Irish model. This is very akin to our current situation with the Governor-General, but I passionately believe having our own head of state is a powerful statement of New Zealand’s independence and nationhood.

"At the same time, it would not compromise our Commonwealth status – India, Singapore and South Africa are already examples of republics within the Commonwealth," he said.

Mr Dunne said he was "deeply frustrated" by politicians who seem to acknowledge that it is inevitable that New Zealand will "one day" become a republic, but who do not want to do anything to progress the issue.

Support for a republic builds

MPs from all sides of politics were amongst the 120 people attending the launch of  The New Zealand Republic Handbook at Parliament on 23 September. Labour MP Phil Twyford spoke about the launch on TV3's Sunrise program, while Green MP Keith Locke made mention of it on TVNZ7's Backbenches program.

The following week Backbenches featured Peter Dunne, Labour's Charles Chauvel and National's John Hayes, all of whom stated their support for a republic. Mr Hayes recalled from his time as a diplomat having to explain to the King of Morocco why New Zealand's head of state lived in London, not Wellington. Will de Cleene represented the Republican Movement, and did a sterling job at putting our arguments forward.

New Victoria University Group

IT'S BACK to the future with a new group of students forming a Republican Movement group on campus at Victoria. The Republican Movement itself was formed at Victoria back in 1994.  Led by Kurt Sharpe, the group won its first battle successfully putting forward a remit for VUWSA to support New Zealand becoming a republic.

The group has also been challenged to battle Alf's Imperial Army, a pacifist warfare group seeking to restore the British Empire and undertake "those missions which Her Majesty the Queen would not dare ask the Empire's citizens to undertake for her honour alone." The Republican Movement looks forward to meeting them in battle!

Review: The New Zealand Republic Handbook

Salient editor Jackson James Wood reviews the Republican Movement's recent publication, launched at Parliament on September 23.

New Zealand has been wandering down a dangerous path of political discourse lately. Between painfully phrased plebiscites, pro-smack acolytes proselytising moral panic, locking prisoners up in shipping crates and nanny state arguments, there is a glimmer of hope. A thin sliver, that somewhere in New Zealand someone cares about deliberative democracy.

The New Zealand Republic Handbook sets out to be exactly what the title leads you to expect. This thin volume sets out a compelling argument for New Zealand to become a republic in a logical and well-written fashion.

The author Lewis Holden is the chair of the New Zealand Republican movement.

Unlike most manifestos distributed by people with political ambitions, this one doesn't resort to invective rhetoric or slanting of facts. The information contained in The Republic Handbook addresses both sides of the argument, bringing a balance to the reading. To a point this is more of an exercise in 'know your enemy' than actually treating Monarchism as a serious threat. By laying the arguments out for all to see you open them up to critique and debate.

This is truly the start of a grass roots movement by the NZ Republican Movement. Putting this information out there in an easily digestible form not only provokes debate, but leads people to the logical conclusion. Worth a read even if you love the Queen.

Interview: Vincent O'Sullivan

Wellington-based author Vincent O'Sullivan declined to receive the recently restored honour of Knighthood. Republican Movement member Evan Roberts interviewed Mr O'Sullivan, asking him to clarify his position on titular honours.

Q. The media reported there was pressure on recipients about their decision to accept knighthoods. Did anyone from either 'side' try to influence your decision?

A. Not in any significant way. Older relatives said, 'Why not?', my own family though the opposite. But beyond that, no pressure either way. Some friends and writers asked wasn't it a way to acknowledge that the arts might be as significant as sport, or as successfully feathering one's own career (ie judges and businessmen), but I didn't accept that as a strong argument. The rush to join an 'establishment of elite' seemed more comic than anything else.

Q. Why did you decide to decline a revived knighthood?

A. Because the whole procedure, the reintroduction of what already had been discarded, struck me as socially atavistic. Such honours may be a valid enough part of another world, but it isn't my world, or one that matters to me. There are some among those who accepted whom I admire for their achievements, and I respect their personal decision. But for me the telling argument is that a specifically New Zealand honours system, of the kind Labour introduced, seems appropriate for a people who wish to be themselves, on their own terms, with their own values, and with their own distinctive history. We do not need the endorsement of carbon-copying elitist flourishes that, as we all know but don't always like to admit, most of our forebears were damned grateful to leave behind.

Q. Do you support NZ becoming a republic?

A. It's not a thing I would go to the barricades for, but it seems a matter of logic and maturity that before too long New Zealand will accept that our notion of independence and self-definition is compromised by plugging into a jaded and - to many of us -irrelevant constitutional hangover. That it allows a number of New Zealanders to dress up and modestly accept their honours on behalf of the rest of us may be touching in its way, but that is not the same as making a serious case. What the National Party's extraordinary urgency in reintroducing these old-time honours did bring home to one, rather sadly, is that unlike the Australians or the Canadians, New Zealanders still don't quite know who or what they are or want to be, if left to themselves. Unlike the Australians, who know very clearly what their nationality means, with us - or some of us -the mould still hasn't set.

Q. If you do support the idea of a NZ republic, how would you try to persuade someone undecided about this issue to support a republic?

A. I don't have a great deal of missionary zeal in me, and I can't imagine trying too forcefully to convince someone of a sound argument that their own intelligence and sense of reality didn't already lead them to. But I'd ask, I suppose, don't you think it more challenging, and more interesting, to be yourself on your own terms, rather than performing a role that has been scripted for you by someone else, on the grounds that this has been going on for so long that we mustn't think of changing? You could use the same argument against being vaccinated.

Any member of the Republican Movement may submit an item to be published in this column - just contact us. All opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not reflect the views and policies of the Republican Movement.

Republican Movement News

THE WEBSITE of the Republican Movement has recently been through an upgrade and update. We've added the capability to sign on to the website using your Facebook account, Groups pages for groups affiliated with the Republican Movement, and upgraded our Store. Check it out at let us know what you think of the new design.