February 2008 newsletter

In this edition: Bring the Treaty Home; Britain set to abolish ancestry visas; More on Mike Moore; Republican Movement News; Poll question: Is the abolition of ancestry visas a nail in the coffin for the monarchy?; Quotes in the republic debate from Spoken; The Way Forward by Oliver Woods; The Case for a Republic: Should we elect the Governor-General?

- Dean Knight

"I do regard the best known executive presidencies as unenlightened despots. I do support Mr Moore's suggestion of an inclusive process of republic debate."

- Perry Cameron, former Clerk of the Writs

"I get very frustrated every time I hear the two following commonly expressed sentiments: nothing will happen while the present Queen reigns, and if Australia becomes a republic we will probably follow suit."

- Peter Dunne

"Perhaps [Prince James] will be the member of the Royal Family who will give New Zealand what alone of the old dominions we lack, a royal Governor-General."

- Noel Cox, Chairman of the Monarchist League.

"The Prime Minister puts forward a name to the Queen for appointment. There is no provision for public input or even for consultation with the Opposition in parliament. History tells us the decision is often made by the Prime Minister alone or a kitchen Cabinet at best."

- John Warhurst, Deputy Chairman of the Australian Republican Movement.

"If we are to have a presidency, a New Zealand-owned head of state, what are this person's powers, and how is that person chosen?"

- Mike Moore, former Labour Prime Minister.


"As part of our nation building process, we must be able to select our own head of state."

- Oliver Woods

Events

10 March:

Commonwealth Day 2008

28 March:

Race Relations Day 2008

Address

Please note, the Republican Movement's mailing address has changed:

PO Box 5063
Wellesley Street
Auckland 1141

Monthly Poll

Last month's poll results:

Are Constitutional Conventions a good way to determine the republic issue?

Yes: 78%

No: 17%

Don't know: 6%

This month's question:

Is the abolition of ancestry visas a nail in the coffin for the monarchy?

Results will be published in the next edition of Republic. Join our website to comment on polls.

The Republican Movement encourages all New Zealanders to exercise their democratic rights - Enrol to Vote Online.

Bring the Treaty Home

The Treaty House, Waitangi, Bay of Islands, 2006.

THE HEAD OF STATE MATTERS greatly in the Treaty debate - and the Republican Movement believes that the status quo does not serve New Zealand well. The current head of state - who is seen as a party to the Treaty - has not been able to attend Waitangi Day at Waitangi for nearly two decades. Not that we could blame Her Majesty - Her Majesty is head of state of Britain first and foremost - but it makes it very difficult to be a symbol of unity in New Zealand.

A concern many New Zealanders have in the republic debate is that a republic means nullifying the Treaty. Legal experts agree that a New Zealand republic would not alter the status of the Treaty of Waitangi in any way. A New Zealand head of state would be able to symbolically represent all New Zealanders - both Maori and Pakeha - and be able to put animosities over the Treaty behind us once and for all. Pakeha New Zealanders feel animosity toward the Treaty settlement process because it is positioned as an issue between the Crown and Maori. This does not engage them on Treaty issues. A New Zealand head of state, irrespective of their ethnic background, would provide a crucial link. This is what the status quo has failed to provide.

Moving toward a republic will help us make sense of our colonial past, and the symbolically useless monarchy that came with it. Representatives of the British Crown may have signed the Treaty - but it is New Zealanders who have paid for the disputes that have arisen under it. It was the British Crown who rejected petitions by Maori to stop breaches of the Treaty by colonial governments - breaches which must today be settled by the Crown in right of New Zealand.

It is time we took the Crown off the head of our constitution and replaced it with a head of state of our own - and in doing so make the Treaty our own.

Britain set to abolish ancestry visas

OUR LINKS TO BRITAIN may become ever more tenuous, with The New Zealand Herald reporting that the UK Home Office is circulating a plan to abolish the "ancestry visa" for New Zealanders and other Commonwealth citizens. Even though they often will not publicly acknowledge it, monarchists believe retaining the monarchy keeps New Zealand's links with Britain strong. Many New Zealanders seem to feel the same way - comments on the Herald's "Your Views" section expressed outrage that Britain would consider such a move.

Some comments did note that this change illustrates the geopolitical reality. Britain has made its choice, and gone with Europe over its former Empire. New Zealanders cannot really complain - but we can change the way we see ourselves, and articulate our own sense of national identity.

More on Mike Moore

MIKE MOORE HAS BEEN OUT CAMPAIGNING AGAIN but not for Helen Clark's job - this time the former Labour leader is on the campaign trail for his Constitution Convention Bill. Moore has been gathering support from politicians such as UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne, and has written follow-up articles, published in both The New Zealand Herald and The Dominion Post.

While explaining that this process is not specifically for creating a republic, it is obvious the issue could be dealt with by a convention. This is the way the Australians created their parliamentary election model in 1998, which was put to a referendum in 1999.

Opposition to constitutional conventions has come from former National MP Simon Upton, who argued in The Dominion Post that a convention would lead "enlightened people" to be "overwhelmed and compelled" by republicans. A convention is a bad thing according to Mr Upton because it could convince people that a republic is the way forward.

Republican Movement News

WE'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS! The Republican Movement has added a store to its website - with a 50% discount for members. At the moment got Barrie Cook and Alan Wheelan's New Zealand Republic book for sale for $10 to non-members, and $5 to members. Check it out online.

Victoria University law lecturer Dean Knight made mention of the Republican Movement in his segment on Radio New Zealand National's Nine to Noon program (the podcast is avaliable via Dean's website). Dean was discussing issues of republicanism, and advocated a "Toyota Corolla" approach to creating a republic.

Oaths Bill half way there

A BILL MODERNISING New Zealand's oaths is back in the running to be passed in a busy election year. New Zealand's Parliament re-opened on 12 February, with the Oaths Modernisation Bill jumping from near the bottom of the order paper to the middle. It might be passed - at a stretch - before Parliament is dissolved before the general election later in the year.

The Bill was the product of a review of the oaths and affirmations of New Zealand, which have not been looked at for over fifty years. The Bill adds Oaths in Te Reo Maori to the Oaths and Declarations Act 1957, replacing a 2004 regulation that created the Maori oaths, amongst other things. It also amends the Constitution Act 1986, replacing the Parliamentary Oath, and gets rid of the arcane requirement that teachers take a Oath to the Queen.

For republicans, the wording of the oaths makes it easy to remove references to the monarchy, if we become a republic. For example, the proposed citizenship oath will be:

"I, [name], swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her (or His) Majesty [specify the name of the reigning Sovereign, as in: Queen Elizabeth the Second], Queen (or King) of New Zealand, her (or his) heirs and successors, and that I will be loyal to New Zealand, will obey the law, and will respect the democratic values of New Zealand and the rights and freedoms of its people. So help me God."

This version means it is easy to remove arcane references to the monarchy. Simply remove the bit about the Queen and her heirs and successors, and replace it with "to New Zealand". You would then have the following citizenship oath:

"I, [name], swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to New Zealand, that I will be loyal to New Zealand, will obey the law, and will respect the democratic values of New Zealand and the rights and freedoms of its people. So help me God."

Drop the "So help me God" part and it is a secular affirmation. The Republican Movement would rather the second version, as it emphasises the core aspects of what a New Zealand citizenship oath should be about, and the values we hold dear as New Zealanders, values the monarchy is at odds with.

The Case for a Republic:

This month, The Case for a Republic looks at the possibility of electing the Governor-General as an interim step to a republic

Across the Tasman, the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) has taken a fascinating position on the appointment of Australia's next Governor-General, which is to happen some time later this year. The Aussie republicans have gained press pushing for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to create "...[a] more open process [that] would be a logical interim measure before we make our ultimate transition to an Australian republic in the coming years."

Their position is a pragmatic one - and one the Citizens for a Canadian Republic (CCR) also takes on their Governor General, arguing Canadians should "...engage now, while the Queen is healthy, in a process of democratizing the office of the governor general and redefining his or her role in government. "

The Canadians do so because their constitution essentially bars removal of the monarchy without the consent of all of Canada's provinces - pretty near impossible, especially given one province (Quebec) will not even sign the constitution Canada has at the moment. CCR's position is doubly pragmatic.

So should New Zealand republicans take the same position? Electing the Governor-General does make evolutionary sense. It was proposed by Sir George Grey (twice Governor of New Zealand and once Premier) in the first draft of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1856, and then later in a Members Bill, presented and defeated in 1887. Colin James suggested again it back in 2006, before Helen Clark nominated Anand Satyanand to the Queen. Perhaps it is time for a re-think.

Two other Commonwealth realms already elect their Governor-General - Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Not that those two examples are brilliant models of stability and democracy - the Solomons has been a failed state rocked by civil war and ethnic violence for many years, and a major island of Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, fought a long and bloody war against Papua New Guinea. Not that having an elective vice-regal office had anything to do with it. That said, now that the Solomons has been stable for the last few years the country looks set to become a federal republic, with a ceremonial head of state similar to that of the Governor-General.

That is of course the point. Electing the Governor-General allows for easier transition to a republic, because the populace is used to electing someone as a ceremonial de facto head of state. The transition of the Irish Free State to a republic by 1949 is an example. The Irish Free State was a Commonwealth realm under the Statute of Westminster 1931, with its own Governor-General. Naturally the Irish republicans did not like this situation very much, and when ex-Sinn Fein leader Eamon de Valera was elected in 1932, he frequently clashed with the Governor-General, and attempted to have one fired. With the abdication of King Edward VII in 1936, de Valera's government amended the Irish Free State Constitution, and created the President of Ireland in its place.

However, the Irish Free State, now renamed simply Ireland (or Eire in Gaelic) retained the British Monarch as King of Ireland, even holding an election for a President in 1945, until the approval of a new constitution in 1949. Ireland then became known as the Republic of Ireland, and the transition to a republic was complete.

Such a transition would be possible in New Zealand. We could rename the Governor-General "President" but retain the Queen as head of state until the end of Her Majesty's reign, as some people suggest. At that stage the President could become the head of state of the Republic of New Zealand.