Here's the Republican Movement's response to Brian Rudman's column in today's edition of The New Zealand Herald:

Dear Sir,

Brian Rudman's call for New Zealand to follow Nepal's lead and become a republic is timely (Rudman's city, 4 June 2008). However, Mr Rudman's Nepalese example is not analogous. Nepal has suffered at the hands of the twin evils of an authoritarian King and totalitarian Maoists for a decade. New Zealand has been a stable democracy for over 150 years, and our Sovereign has shown that in times of constitutional crisis, such as Grenada in 1979, Fiji in 1987, and the Solomon Islands in 2000, they will not act as a check on the Prime Minister or their Cabinet. And because the Prime Minister can advise the Queen to remove the Governor-General at any time, they too cannot act as an effective check. Our system is broken, yet no blood needs to be spilt putting it right.

All that is required is for New Zealand to become a republic is a successful referendum on the issue. Keith Locke currently has a members' Bill to bring about such a referendum, putting forward three options – the status quo, a head of state elected by parliament, or one elected directly by the people. The head of state would have the same powers as the Governor-General, and serve a fixed five year term. This would be a practical and safe evolution of New Zealand’s constitutional make up, and one that symbolically emphasises New Zealand's independence and unique national identity.

Regards

Lewis Holden
Chair, Republican Movement