Debate & Reasons
There are many arguments put forward in support of our monarchy but also several against it. The reasons why we should stick with the status quo or change to a republic are explained below.
Reasons to remain a Monarchy
The Royal Family has served our country successfully since the arrival of the British in New Zealand, through becoming a colony, a dominion and then a monarchy of our own. There are many reasons why this is so and why we should remain a monarchy:
- Monarchy acts as a guardian of our heritage
- Monarchy is part of our culture
- Monarchy is cost-effective
- Our monarchy works
Monarchy acts as a guardian of our heritage
The status quo acts as a living reminder of the events and personalities that have shaped us. Monarchy is a powerful focus for loyalty and a source of strength in times of crisis and a reminder of enduring values and traditions.
Monarchy is part of our culture
Just like rugby, jandals, L&P and the pavlova, monarchy is a vital piece of our national identity. You only have look at the hype any member of the Royal Family generates when visiting New Zealand to see how monarchy-centred our culture is. Most New Zealanders regard the monarchy as a shared heritage, whatever their ethnic or cultural background.
Monarchy is cost-effective
New Zealand contributes nothing to the Queen. The only cost is the maintenance of the Governor-General and the Government Houses where he resides. We also pay for occasional visits by members of the Royal family. The cost of maintaining a President could be huge as they would have a wider public role than the Governor-General does now. Security, accommodation and transport are just some of the costs that would skyrocket if our Governor-General was instead a President.
Our monarchy is working
The other reasons aside, there is no need to ditch the monarchy. As they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. The system has served us with virtually no issues whatsoever so there is no need to move away from the monarchy.
Reasons to become a Republic
As there are many reasons for remaining a monarchy, the reasons for change are plentiful. Here are the main arguments put forward in support of New Zealand becoming a republic:
- A republic means a New Zealand Head of State
- A republic would build a sense of nationhood
- Republics provide constitutional safeguards
- Monarchy encourages an inegalitarian society
- Monarchy is no longer fit to rule
- The cost of monarchy is unjustifiable
A republic means a New Zealand Head of State
Our current Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II, only represents a token link with Britain. This connection provides little relevance to most New Zealanders. Our diverse population means the link with Britain is only valuable to the British people of New Zealand who make up only one part of the population. Like Dutch, German, Japanese or Irish New Zealanders, British New Zealanders do not need such links.
In recent years I have been swayed to the point of view that New Zealand should become a republic, for the simple reason that I believe it is every citizens' right to be legally able to become the Head of State of their country. -Blogger, Taller Than Average
It would foster a sense of nationhood
A republic would build our national identity and pride through true independence from Britain. This would aid New Zealand's success in an increasingly global world. No longer would there be any confusion about whether we are a part of Australia or a colony of Britain. New Zealand's place in the world would be strengthened and affirmed. The key factor in this is a head of state that would fairly and accurately represent the people of New Zealand and our common values, here and overseas. Our Queen can't provide such an outcome.
New Zealand's national identity will drive the need for change. -Lewis Holden
It provides constitutional safeguards
One role of a head of State is to be an effective constitutional safeguard. The Sovereign and Governor-General are not effective constitutional safeguards. The Governor-General is unable to resolve constitutional crises because the Prime Minister holds the power to dismiss and replace them at any time, and the monarch will never get involved, choosing to remain "above politics".
With the change to a republic, the role of our head of state will become clearer and allow the president to act in such times.
Monarchy encourages an inegalitarian society
Even though the monarchy retains little political power, its presence sustains the traditional class system, sending out a message that who you are born matters more than what you make of yourself. This stifles aspirations and leads to a society where individual ability is not valued. A republic would create a system of merit, whereby peoples' statuses are defined by their own actions, because the Head of State would be chosen by the people based on their own individual achievements.
Monarchy is no longer fit to rule
In recent times, The Royal Family has become an international embarrassment with an array of scandals and other negative publicity. This brings into question whether they are fit to rule.
The cost of monarchy is unjustifiable
Although we contribute no money to the Royal Family, our monarchy still costs New Zealand in other ways. $11,000,000 is spent annually on the Office of the Governor-General and the government has plans to spend $46,600,000 on fixing and upgrading Government House, his home. We also foot the bill for Royal visits. The Royal tour in 2002 cost the taxpayer around $1,000,000. A Republic could be cheaper for New Zealand. The republic of Ireland for example only spends $6,700,000 annually on maintaining their president. Although many countries do spend more. In New Zealand, it is hard to say whether it would cost less or more than maintaining our monarchy.