David Farrar's Kiwiblog is holding a poll on whether New Zealand should become a republic when the Queen's reign ends. Feel free to vote - currently the republic has a slight lead.

The New Zealand Herald's Brian Rudman argues New Zealand should follow Nepal and establish a republic:

The only royal news gracing the Herald on Monday, the official public holiday marking the Queen's birthday, was that the local Nepalese community had a knees-up to celebrate the overthrow of the monarchy in their homeland.

Parliament had given King Gyanendra two weeks to vacate his palace and that was that. The sky didn't fall in. Mt Everest didn't collapse. Backward Nepal just took a sensible step into the 21st century. When will we do the same?

The Nelson Mail argues for changes to New Zealand's honours system:

The honours might gain greater acceptance with limiting or even ending the current role of politicians in compiling the list for rubber-stamping by the British monarchy, whose own place in the scheme is also questionable.

The Nelson Mail are right on the money - despite what the Queen's Birthday honours list implies, it's the politicians who actually get to decide who is to get what gongs, not the monarch. The Sovereign can only award a handful of honours herself, the rest are decided for her.

Now's the time to ponder New Zealand's constitutional future, says The Gisborne Herald:

Queen's Birthday Weekend is over for another year but those who care seriously about the future of New Zealand should spare a few moments today to consider its significance. It is a welcome break for many from the workday slog; and the last long weekend until Labour Day on October 27.

But its prime purpose is a celebration of the nation's head of state, and an appropriate time to ponder New Zealand's constitutional future.

Advocates of republicanism will argue that the monarchy is an anachronism; an outdated relic of imperial England and especially inappropriate when the sovereign resides 20,000 kilometres away.

Aaron Ironside will be interviewing myself on Radio Rhema's breakfast show tomorrow morning, around 8am. If I can, I'll post the audio on the Republican Movement YouTube channel.

Chris Laidlaw hosted a discussion on the future of the monarchy on Radio New Zealand's Sunday program. Former Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves, Monarchist League Chairman Noel Cox, and Women's Day editor Sarah Henry took part. The discussion focused on the Royal family, and hence not really related to republicanism as such. Sir Paul Reeves and Noel Cox made some round-about criticism of Sarah Henry for the media's portrayal of the Royals.

Over at The Daily Telegraph, blogger Peter Foster (a Brit who moved to New Zealand in January of this year) asks: Will New Zealand ever be a republic?. With Queen's Birthday weekend coming up, it seems the fact that New Zealand has a holiday for the Queen while Britain doesn't still causes some amusement to the ex-pat Brits, as does our holding onto the British monarchy:

"As an outsider it baffles me that New Zealand and Australia haven’t declared themselves republics yet."

And...

Every time I hear talk of celebrating the “Queen’s birthday” I find myself wanting to shout out 'come on New Zealand. 

Let’s go! It’s time to do away with the House of Windsor...' And then I think to keep my big mouth shut.

Since we're on the subject of links with the United Kingdom, Roger Hall's play Taking Off is on at the Howick Little Theatre, reports the Times Online. One quote stands out:

With New Zealand dropping its use of the British Privy Council as its supreme legislative body in 2003 and a drift towards republicanism, Mr Wright feels we are heading ever further from Britain.

Although the Privy Council (correctly the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council) was never our "supreme legislative body" - it was the supreme judicial body - Mr Wright is correct that our links with Britain aren't as important as they used to be. What's interesting about Roger Hall's play is the assertion of a unique New Zealand identity is a core theme.

Salient, Victoria University's student mag, has an interesting politics op-ed on republicanism. One point in particular stands out:

What we need is more education about what being a republic would entail, and dear I say it, a referenda may be needed, similar to the one that changed the electoral system. Treaty issues could be solved by retaining the term “Crown” for the government, a defunct historical vestige that would enable Maori to maintain treaty rights. Republicanism is something that we should not be afraid of, and something that we should not accept ignorance about.

Fair enough.

Yahoo! Xtra has the NZPA story on our poll online, and is conducting a poll of its own. Being an online poll it's not scientific, and it appears you can vote more than once. At last look the results were 5,925 votes: