It sounds funny, but the Republic of New Zealand Party has put out something on New Zealand becoming a republic. But it's not actually funny because despite the party's name, the policy is not included in the party's constitution policy information, nor is it included in their "5 Ways Forward" platform for this year's election. Most of the party's media releases relate to "men's rights" issues, the Electoral Finance Act, and not republicanism.

The Republic of New Zealand Party, much unlike the Republican Movement, is a political organisation which only has republicanism as a small part of it's platform. Nonetheless, the party's Constitutional Spokesman Wayne Hawkins articulated the party's policy position in the speech just posted on their website.

For some reason the issue of how much the monarchy costs the New Zealand taxpayer versus the potential cost of a New Zealand head of State is a big issue for supporters of the monarchy. One nomination of Queen Elizabeth II on The President of New Zealand caught our attention:

"So NZ can continue its de facto republic, which costs taxpayers a tiny cost."

That "tiny cost" is $11 million per year to maintain the office of Governor-General. That's more expensive than the President of Ireland ($6.7 million per year).

"We function as a republic but masquerade as a monarchical state."

This is nothing more than evidence that a New Zealand republic is a workable proposition, not a justification for the monarchy.

A reader of The New Zealand Herald writes in today's letters to the editor:

"Some are agitating for our system to be changed to a similar system [to the US] because they consider it is out of date. It would appear ours is far more advanced than that particular republican system.

So shouldn't they [the US] be learning from us, not we learning from them?

R. Hood, Auckland Central"