Republican Sentiment in the Realms of the Queen: The New Zealand Perspective

Abstract

In common with other countries which continue to recognise Elizabeth II as their Queen, in New Zealand the Crown symbolises the authority of government. But the continuation of this symbolism has been questioned by various groups and individuals, who propose that New Zealand become a republic. One reason is the quest for sovereignty by some Maori - the indigenous inhabitants of the country, another the rejection of the relevance of the symbolism and substance of an inherited form of government.

These arguments for a New Zealand republic, although with their own unique elements, stem from a long tradition of political thought, though not one which was markedly strong in New Zealand. It has also been argued that the gradual departure from the original Westminster model means that the abolition of the monarchy will mark the culmination of our political development.

The last century has been particularly marked internationally by a process of modernisation, of abandoning post-medieval political traditions. Though criticism of monarchy as a generic form of government is by no means absent in republican literature in New Zealand, the emphasis (and much of the underlying beliefs) is on national identity. Ironically, this means modern Commonwealth republicanism has relatively little in common with traditional republicanism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The first section of this paper looks at the older, particularly nineteenth century British, republican tradition. This was based variously on democracy, utilitarianism, and expense, depending upon the circumstances of the time. The second section assesses the republican movement in Australia, and compares and contrasts it with that in New Zealand. In particular, although like classical republicanism the Australian variety depended for its intellectual base on sometimes conflicting ideologies, it has come to have nationalism as its principal motivation.

The third section looks at an argument that it would be illegal to abolish the monarchy. Although in the end the continuance of a regime depends upon popular support, if it is legally entrenched this will have an effect upon its stability. In the New Zealand context it would seem to indicate that the adoption of a republic would be more conceptually problematic than it would be in Australia.

Keywords: Crown, monarchy, republicanism, New Zealand, Commonwealth

JEL Classification: K39