Our campaign policies - what we’re campaigning for

Our campaign policies set out what we're campaigning for. Read on or download this policy document.

Head of State

Our campaign is for a citizen as head of state by transforming the office of Governor-General into New Zealand’s actual head of state. The Governor-General already fulfils all the duties and obligations of the head of state.

Our campaign supports:

  • Our parliamentary system of government: keeping the head of government - the Prime Minister - and head of state separate. We believe it is important to keep the Governor-General’s discretionary powers (e.g. dissolving parliament) separate from the Prime Minister, following the principles of the separation of powers;

  • Transitioning the office of Governor-General of New Zealand from the King’s representative in New Zealand to New Zealand’s head of state, with the same limited discretionary powers as the Governor-General currently has. Effectively, a non-executive head of state whose role is focused on ceremonial and community duties. It would be titled ‘head of state’.

To achieve this, we propose:

  • First, putting in place an appointment process for the Governor-General, where the office is elected by a vote in parliament of three-quarters of MPs (and can be removed by the same process), to ensure the person chosen for the role is above politics. We would have the same sort of people we currently have as Governors-General to represent all New Zealanders. People with mana and dignity and a proven commitment to public service.

  • Second, once the election process for the Governor-General is in place, a simple referendum asking the New Zealand people the question "Do you support New Zealand becoming an independent state, with the Governor-General becoming our head of state?" would then be put to the vote.

    Legislation establishing the referendum must have:

  1. A clause that "saves" the head of state's discretionary constitutional powers as being the same as the Governor-General;

  2. A Treaty of Waitangi clause defining Iwi-Crown relations and clause for “the Crown” being defined as “The Government and People of New Zealand”;

  3. A clause stating membership of the Commonwealth must continue, with recognition of the Head of the Commonwealth

  • After the passing of the above referendum, a future review of the role of head of state would include assessing whether the office could be elected directly or remain elected by parliament. Any changes to the method of selection would require a second referendum.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi - The Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi - Te Tiriti o Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding document. A New Zealand citizen as head of state won’t change this or the constituional relationship between Iwi and Government. We don’t need the Crown, which stood by and did nothing during the worst excesses of the colonial era.

Our campaign supports:

  • Recognising the Treaty of Waitangi - Te Tiriti of Waitangi as New Zealand’s founding document;

  • In legislation establishing the republic, a specific Treaty clause re-stating the Māori-Kawangatanga (i.e. the New Zealand Government) relationship and preserving that relationship;

For more detail, see our page on the Treaty of Waitangi.

The Commonwealth

An independent head of state wouldn’t mean New Zealand loses its membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. In fact the majority of members of the Commonwealth don’t have the King as their head of state.

New Zealand will remain a member, participate in the Commonwealth Games, and in all of the Commonwealth’s other activities as it sees fit.

For more detail, see our page on New Zealand’s continued membership of the Commonwealth of Nations.

New Zealand Republic Inc.