NEW ZEALAND'S MONARCHY
The Coat of Arms of New Zealand, post-1956 pattern
New Zealand-
Two principal islands, the North and South Islands, besides Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, and small outlying islands as well as territories overseas make up the nation of New Zealand.
The country became a dominion in 1907, a status which came to imply self-government and equality with Britain under the Crown, within what became the British Commonwealth of Nations, as confirmed at the 1926 Imperial Conference. The independence of New Zealand is legally recognised in the Statute of Westminster of December 1931. There are two dependent territories- Tokelau, and Ross Dependency- and two self-governing overseas territories in free association with New Zealand- the Cook Islands and Niue.
MONARCHICAL GOVERNMENT
A quarter of the countries of the world are monarchies. In the Commonwealth the proportion is nearly one half. Of all the states of the world, 16 acknowledge the Queen as their Head of State, and 30 have other monarchs. Monarchies not in the Commonwealth include Andorra, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Cambodia, Denmark, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Vatican City State.
Monarchies in the Commonwealth include Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brunei, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Lesotho, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Christopher-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom, and Western Samoa.
A Constitutional Monarchy is where the Head of State is an hereditary Sovereign who governs according to the constitution- that is, according to well established rules, rather than arbitrarily. In the Westminster type of government, this is governed largely by convention, non-legal but nevertheless binding constitutional rules, such as that the Sovereign will always sign a parliamentary bill which has been passed by Parliament, and that they will act only with the benefit of ministerial advice when exercising any prerogative or statutory powers.
The basic constitutional relationship of Crown and Ministers is not expressed in law, but rests solely on convention, just as the position of the Prime Minster as the principal adviser of the Crown is based on convention.
At the heart of our constitutional arrangements is a person rather than a written constitution. The term Crown refers to the distinctive head-dress of a Sovereign, to the Sovereign herself in her public capacity, and also the general authority of government.
The consequences of the historical development of the Westminster-style constitutional monarchy include a non-political and independent judiciary. The Bill of Rights 1689 sets out the rights of Parliament against the Sovereign, rather than the basic rights and liberties of the citizen- no limitation was placed upon the Sovereign in Parliament, which possesses supreme legislative authority.
The authority of the Crown remains important from both a legal and a political point of view. Almost all the Sovereign's powers are exercised in fact by the Queen's New Zealand Ministers. The fact that it is the Queen's Government they conduct confers legitimacy upon their actions. Because it is a monarchy her Ministers inherit a tradition of strong Government.
The Sovereign will, however, in all normal circumstances, act only on advice from responsible ministers, so that public acts are the acts of a minister responsible to Parliament. Appointments of public officials made by the Sovereign or the Governor-General, some of which are under the royal prerogative, and many more in exercise of specific statutory powers, are made on ministerial advice.
All the Queen's speeches are approved by the appropriate minister, so they can assume political responsibility, although this does not mean that the Queen is limited in what she can say. The only exceptions are the Speech from the Throne, which is drafted by the Government, and outlines the proposed legislative programme, and the Queen's Christmas Day and Commonwealth Day broadcasts.
The Queen, as fountainhead of justice, links the monarchy with the rule of law. In the continuity of that tradition lies an important contribution of the monarchy. Some of the functions of the monarchy are surrounded by mystery, but no less valuable for that. The monarchy personifies the permanent principles and apparatus of government.
The royal prerogative is the special authority vested in the Sovereign. By common law rather than statute, it is the residue of the discretionary authority once exercised by sovereigns, but which have gradually been superseded by statutory provisions. In practice it means the non-statutory executive powers of government, relating to the appointment of ministers, military officers, summoning Parliament, the conferment of honours, and the right to conduct foreign affairs.
One of the distinctive features of our type of democracy- constitutional monarchy- is that our head of State is non-partisan. In many countries the alternative to a monarch as head of State is an elected President with executive powers.
New Zealand has chosen to keep the role of head of State separate from the business of government. The Sovereign and the Governor-General are regarded as symbols of national unity, whose roles are one of leadership, but not control.
HEREDITARY?
As the Canadian historian Jacques Monet observed,
"[A] king is a king, not because he is rich and powerful, not because he is a successful politician, not because he belongs to a particular creed or to a national group. He is King because he is born. And in choosing to leave the selection of their head of state to this most common denominator in the world- the accident of birth- Canadians implicitly proclaim their faith in human equality; their hope for the triumph of nature over political manoeuvre, over social and financial interest; for the victory of the human person".
The Queen, speaking in Toronto in 1973 said that "I want the Crown to be seen as a symbol of national sovereignty belonging to all. It is not only a link between Commonwealth nations, but between ... citizens of every national origin and ancestry".
Succession to the throne is based on common law rules. Principles have been built up over the centuries. It is qualified by Acts of Parliament, especially by the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701. The rules of succession to the Throne are similar to the old rules of succession to land. It is essentially male primogeniture, whereby the eldest son is the heir, but daughters will succeed in preference to brothers if the sovereign does not have a son.
Accession is effective immediately. The Sovereign succeeds his or her predecessor without any delay or legal formality. The Proclamation of Accession is always made as soon as possible. Coronation follows as soon as convenient. This is a solemn ceremonial which has been held in Westminster Abbey for the last 900 years. The Coronation is the sole occasion at which the majority of the pieces of the Crown Jewels, normally kept in the Tower of London, are used.
The sovereign's heir is called the heir apparent if he is next in line, and his right to succeed cannot be defeated by the birth of someone with a superior right to succeed. The eldest son of the sovereign is always an heir apparent. If he dies, his eldest son becomes the heir apparent. By contrast, an heir or heiress presumptive's right can be defeated. Thus any woman, unless sole or eldest surviving daughter of a deceased heir apparent, is only heiress presumptive. The present Queen was herself heiress presumptive before she succeeded.
The eldest son of the reigning sovereign is always Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. He may be, and generally is, also subsequently made Prince of Wales, and Earl of Chester. No specific duties attach to any of these titles, and the heir has no constitutional function.
A regency may be declared in the event of the sovereign being under the age of 18 years, or being incapacitated by infirmity of mind or body, or is not available for performing royal functions. The regent would be the next heir, if of full age.
The membership of the Royal Family is not legally defined. Some are designated princes and princesses by royal prerogative. Members of the Royal Family are also subject to the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, as well as the Act of Settlement 1701 and other measures which regulate the succession to the Throne.
Members of the Royal Family who are descendants of Queen Victoria in the male line, have, since 1917, been members of the House of Windsor. However, in 1960 the Queen declared that her male descendants and their daughters would be known as the House and Family of Mountbatten-Windsor.
NEW ZEALAND'S MONARCHY
The government of New Zealand is vested in the person of HM The Queen. The Constitution Act 1986 declares that the Sovereign in right of New Zealand is the Head of State of New Zealand. She is one of the parts of the Parliament of New Zealand.
The Royal Titles Act 1953 first introduced a New Zealand royal title for use by the Queen, and the Royal Titles Act 1974 altering the style borne by HM The Queen in New Zealand. She is now "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith".
The Sovereign is the Fount of Justice. This, one of oldest of royal functions, means that it is the Queen's laws, the Queen's courts, and the Queen's justice. The right of the Sovereign to personally administer justice had however ended by the early seventeenth century. Criminal prosecutions are made in the Queen's name. The justice system may be administered by the government of the day, but it is the Queen's justice, and this encourages judicial independence. The Queen's prerogative of mercy, by which convictions or sentences may be quashed or amended, is only exercised on ministerial advice.
The right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is in fact the right to appeal to the Queen in Council. Decisions are given in the form of formal advice to the Queen. New Zealand Cabinet Ministers, and Court of Appeal judges are customarily appointed to the Privy Council, and the latter are entitled to sit on the Judicial Committee to hear appeals from New Zealand and elsewhere. The right of appeal to the Crown is retained by most countries of which the Queen is Sovereign.
The Sovereign is head of the armed services. The Governor-General is styled Commander-in-Chief in and over New Zealand, although no specific duties attach to the latter office that do not belong to the office as representative of the Queen. The Sovereign has always maintained a close relationship with the armed forces, which are raised in her name.
Members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, often hold the honorary position of Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment or corps. They are kept informed of all major matters, and consulted when decisions are needed on any matters of tradition or regimental procedure. The appointment is usually for life, and gives the regiment the right of direct access to the Household of its royal Colonel-in-Chief.
The Queen is Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers, the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, and the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps. She is Captain-General of the, Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery, the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. She is also Air Commodore in Chief of the New Zealand Territorial Air Force.
The Sovereign is fount of honour, in that all titles of honour, all dignities, and matters of precedent are part of the royal prerogative. Honours are however only conferred on ministerial advice, except for the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit, and the Royal Victorian Order, which are bestowed by the Queen at her sole discretion.
The use of the style 'royal' in the name of an organisation, or the use of the royal arms and emblems, may be granted by the Queen, though again only on ministerial advice. The Queen is Sovereign of the Order of New Zealand, New Zealand Order of Merit, and of the Queen's Service Order.
The Queen's Engagements are designed to enable as many people as possible to see her. Her Audiences, where she receives people privately, enable her to remain abreast of current developments. She sees her British Prime Minister weekly while parliament is in session, and is kept informed of events in New Zealand by her Governor-General.
The Queen is Patron of many organisations in New Zealand, such the Returned Services Association of New Zealand. The Governor-General is Patron of over 300 organisations as the Queen's representative. Royal patronage dates in its modern form from the time of King George III. The Queen has nearly 800 patronages in total.
Since some degree of respectability is conferred with the grant of patronage, careful enquiries are made as to the advisability of accepting an invitation to become patron of an organisation. Invitations are declined until and unless an organisation is well established. Where appropriate, ministerial advice may be sought.
Only in exceptional circumstances do members of the Royal Family give their patronage to appeals for funds, no matter how deserving the cause. The Queen never does. Following the lead of the Duke of Edinburgh, members of the Royal Family limit their patronages to the number of organisations in which they can interest themselves intelligently and actively. This will total perhaps a few dozen. The Queen and the Queen Mother both inherited hundreds of patronages, often by virtue of their respective positions.
A SHARED MONARCHY
By sharing our Monarch with 16 other countries, New Zealanders participate in a global organisation that encompasses peoples of widely varying conditions. Through her office and her person, the Queen reflects a civilised character that transcends nationalism. She is widely regarded as the best-informed and most respected public figure in the world.
This civilised character preserves and yet reconciles the distinct contribution to the development of New Zealand made by the Maori people, and the European settlers, and more recently, by people of widely varying ethnic origins. In New Zealand, as in each of her realms, she acts only on the advice of her constitutional advisors, the Ministers of the day. A shared monarchy and the Commonwealth of which the Queen is Head, comprise a quarter of the world's people.
the queen does not attend the opening ceremony, or any of the sessions, o f the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings. She is normally present in the host country, and has a private meeting with each Prime Minister, and attends a reception and dinner during the conference period. In the course of her reign, the Queen has attended 26 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.
In 1992 the Commonwealth Secretariat was presented with a ceremonial mace for the use of the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. This mace, the idea of the Royal Anniversary Trust, was mainly funded by corporate sponsorship. It is of solid gold, and incorporates the Royal Arms. The Queen was also presented on this occasion with 50 gold-plated toasting goblets, one from each member country of the Commonwealth, to mark her 40 years at Head of the Commonwealth.
Since 1932 the Sovereign has broadcast an annual Christmas Day Message to members of the Commonwealth. Since 1957 this has been on television as well as radio, and the 1954 broadcast was from New Zealand. The Queen has also, since 1965, given an annual Commonwealth Day Message, which is broadcast on radio, on the second Monday in March.
There is also an observance for Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey, followed by a reception given by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, normally in Marlborough House, which is the Commonwealth Secretariat and a former royal residence in London. Most years The Queen attends.
Commonwealth Day derives from the Empire Day movement of the late last century. In 1916 Queen Victoria's birthday, the 24th May, was officially recognised as Empire Day. In 1958 the name was changed to Commonwealth Day. This became linked in 1966 with the Queen's official birthday as marked in the United Kingdom. In 1977 the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting agreed that Commonwealth Day would be in March, and would be aimed at children. The Queen's Message continues the practice of a special message to youth began by her father, King George VI.
Commonwealth Games have been held every four years since the first at Hamilton, Canada in 1930, except for 1942 and 1946. Since 1958 they have been opened by senior member of the Royal Family, and the Queen now generally closes them. Commonwealth Games have been held in New Zealand twice, at Christchurch in 1974, and Auckland in 1990. Prince Edward succeeded the Duke of Edinburgh as President of the Commonwealth Games Federation in 1990.
FAMILY OF ALL NEW ZEALANDERS
The diversity of the Royal Family's family origins has a special message for our multi-cultural society. Among the nationalities that can be identified in the backgrounds of the Queen, the Prince of Wales and Prince William are Albanian, Arab, Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Lithuanian, Mongol, Norman, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Scottish, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Swiss, Tartar, Ukrainian, and Welsh.
THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND
The Royal Family's personal ties with New Zealand began in the later years of last century. The first member to visit the newly established colony was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who arrived in 1869 on HMS Galatea, of which he was captain. He subsequently visited in 1870 and 1871. The next royal visit was not until 1901, when Prince George, Duke of York, later King George V, visited.
Since the Queen's first visit, in 1953, she has visited eight times. Other members of the present Royal Family also regularly come to New Zealand, especially Prince Edward, who taught at Wanganui Collegiate in 1982-83.
The Prince of Wales has visited New Zealand on a number of occasions. In both 1970 and 1974 he accompanied The Queen, in the latter year to the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. He returned late in that year as Special Representative of the Queen at the funeral of the Prime Minister, the late Norman Kirk.
Prince Charles' visit of 1981 was made just prior to his marriage, and in 1983 he was accompanied by the Princess of Wales and Prince William of Wales. The visit of 1994 specifically marked the presence in Auckland of the Whitbread Round the World yachts.
The Princess Royal visited New Zealand in 1970 and in 1974, when she accompanied the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales. The latter visit was to attend the Christchurch Commonwealth Games. She has also visited in 1989 and 1990, and again in 1995, when she relinquished her position of President of the Chartered Institute of Transport.
Prince Edward has visited New Zealand on a number of occasions, including eight months spent at Wanganui Collegiate School in 1982-83.
In late 1983 Prince Edward again visited New Zealand and was the Special Representative of the Queen at the funeral of the former Governor-General and Prime Minister, Sir Keith Holyoake. He has also visited in 1986, and in 1990, when he opened the Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
In 1992, Prince Edward visited New Zealand for the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards Scheme. In 1997 he again visited New Zealand for the Award Scheme's triennial forum, which was held in Wellington that year.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE QUEEN'S ROLES?
The governmental authority in New Zealand is vested in the Queen. With the House of Representatives she forms a part of Parliament. Government Ministers are her Ministers. The constitutional monarchy provides the balance between politicians representing the wishes of the majority, and the Monarch protecting the interests of all New Zealanders.
It is the authority, legitimacy, prestige and neutrality conferred by the Queen on the system of government which enables it to exercise its powers effectively. The Crown's existence in New Zealand ensures that the rule of law is maintained, and does not vary because of the results of an election.
The royal character of New Zealand society is reflected in many ways. The New Zealand Defence Force and the civil service function in the Queen's name, not on behalf of the Prime Minister or the Cabinet. Oaths of allegiance to the Queen of New Zealand sworn by members of the Judiciary, the armed forces, and certain public servants reflect this independence.
Ultimately this is a greater protection for civil liberties than any written document. The fact that authority comes from the Queen, not from the "people", has been one of the most important factors in shaping the attitudes of New Zealanders.
THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL
New Zealand shares our monarch with many other countries in the Commonwealth, countries with whom we also share a common legal and constitutional heritage. Normally the Queen resides in her most ancient realm, England, but she is regularly present in her newer realms around the world.
The Sovereign's constitutional duties, when not resident in New Zealand, are normally limited to appointing the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Being appointed, not elected, the Governor-General can act solely from conscience, without fear of intimidation, and without having to win the transient favours of voters or politicians. The Governor-General is the Queen's personal representative in New Zealand.
When she is not in New Zealand, her Governor-General exercises the Queen's prerogative powers, as empowered by the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand, issued 28 October 1983. These powers, however, belong to the Queen, not to the Governor-General.
The position of the Governor-General is subordinate to that of the Queen, from whom he derives his authority to act. He acts both as the Queen's representative in New Zealand, and as a channel of communication between the Prime Minister and the Queen. The Governor-General has an extremely important role. Neither Queen Elizabeth nor the Governor-General takes an active originating role in the executive functions of government- by binding convention, the head of State almost always acts on the advice of Ministers of the Crown.
The 1926 Imperial Conference adopted the report of the Inter-Imperial Relations Committee 'that the Governor-General of a Dominion is the representative of the Crown, holding in all essential respects the same position in relation to the administration of public affairs in the Dominion as is held by HM the King in Great Britain'.
In 1930 New Zealand made the decision that future Governor's-General would be appointed on the advice of its own Government ministers.
Thus the Governor-General represents the Queen in Parliament, but he is not himself part of it. All legislation must pass through the House of Representatives and be signed by the Governor-General on behalf of the Queen. In addition, the Governor-General exercises certain other functions that are conferred upon him by Parliament in his capacity as the Queen's permanent representative in New Zealand.
Governors-General regularly communicates with the Queen, keeping her informed about New Zealand. The actual responsibility for government remains in the hands of the viceroy, as was shown by the response of Buckingham Palace to the Australian crisis of 1975, and the 1987 coups in Fiji.
Thus the office of Governor-General is not an empty one. Sir David Beattie, who had had discussions with the then Governor-General of Australia (Sir Ninian Stephen), and two former holders of that office (Sir John Kerr and Sir Zelman Cowen), has spoken about the so-called "reserve powers" of the office.
Sir David Beattie was in no doubt that the Governor-General has extensive and undefined powers to act in times of constitutional crises and that he can act in such cases on behalf of the Queen, informing her of his actions afterwards. If Sir David had had to act, he would have selected two former senior politicians, from opposing parties, and two retired Court of Appeal judges, who were also Privy Counsellors, to advise him informally.
The Governor-General (and the Sovereign when she is resident) performs three main functions- constitutional, ceremonial, and as a unifying symbol for the nation. The Governor-General and the Sovereign are embodiments of the Crown. In its role of providing a unifying influence, the Crown is above party and politics. This role is, in normal circumstances, more important than the constitutional role, and more important than the ceremonial one, whose place in New Zealand is limited.
MONARCHY AND THE TREATY OF WAITANGI
There has been a conflict of views as to exactly what the Maori chiefs ceded to the Crown by the Treaty of Waitangi. The "kawanatanga" ceded by Article 1 rests uneasily with the "tino rangatiratanga" reserved by the Chiefs by Article 2. The Crown's obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi are now exclusively the concern of the Crown in right of New Zealand.
Despite this confusion and uncertainty, the personal involvement of the Sovereign as a party to the Treaty remains important to the Maori. This is illustrated by the strongly asserted Maori appeal to Her present Majesty Queen Elizabeth, in 1984.
On 6th February 1840 over 400 Maori gathered at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. They were there to establish an agreement with the British Crown and to come under the protection of Queen Victoria. They were there witness and take part in the birth of a new nation, a nation called Aotearoa/New Zealand. Such official British involvement came about because it was requested, both by the Maori and the early settlers. The main reasons for wanting British involvement were
a) Some people feared that New Zealand might be taken over by France. In 1831 thirteen northern chiefs, afraid of a possible French invasion, petitioned King William IV for protection.
b) Maori land was being sold in a disorganised way.
c) Two different races, with very different cultures were living side-by-side. There were no one set of formal laws, particularly for the Europeans. As settlement increased rules and guidelines were needed.
d) New Zealand at that time had no national government, or national leaders as we have today. It was a series of independent tribes, with small European settlements, plus a few traders scattered throughout the country. This made communication and co-operation difficult.
Translation of Maori Version (by Professor Sir Hugh Kawharu)
The first
The chiefs of the Confederation and all the chiefs who have not joined that confederation give absolutely to the Queen of England forever the complete government over their land.
The second
The Queen of England agrees to protect the chiefs, the sub-tribes and all the people of New Zealand in the unqualified exercise of their chieftainship over their lands, villages and all their treasures. But on the other hand the chiefs of the confederation and all the chiefs will sell land to the Queen at a price agree to by the person owning it and by the person buying it.
The third
For this agreed arrangement therefore concerning the government of the Queen the Queen of England will protect all the ordinary people of New Zealand and will give them the same rights and duties of citizenship as the people of England.
"150 years ago something great happened- the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. Let the spirit of the Treaty move among us powerfully and bring us even closer together"- Most Rev'd Sir Paul Reeves, GCMG GCVO QSO.
"In 1840 a pact was signed with good and true intent and that was the beginning of a nation called New Zealand. It is time for our founding document to be set free and for the Treaty of Waitangi to be a symbol of unity, trust, understanding and goodwill for all the peoples of Aotearoa"- Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, ONZ DBE.
What the Treaty means today
The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document for our nation. Our modern independent state was not based on colonial conquest, or the illegitimate invasion of settlers. New Zealand is founded on an agreement which continues today as a pact of partnership between Maori and European.
It is an agreement which established our continuing links with the Crown, an agreement which continues to act as a national symbol of unity and understanding between cultures. Today the Treaty continues as a living document, a focus for all New Zealanders to consider its on-going role for our nation and in the partnership between our cultures- today and in the future.
THE NATIONAL ANTHEMS
New Zealand has two National Anthems of equal status. God Save The Queen is the Royal Anthem. It forms part of royal and vice-regal salutes and can be sung or played on any occasion. It is a prayer to God to aid and protect the Queen, just as God Defend New Zealand is a prayer that God keep the land of New Zealand.
Although dating back to the seventeenth century, the Royal Anthem first became a popular song immediately upon being given its first public performance in 1745, at the time of the Jacobite uprising. It soon came to be used to greet the Sovereign officially. It is one of the most famous tunes in the world, and as the first example of a national anthem was widely copied overseas.
The tune God Save The Queen was used as the unofficial national anthem of Switzerland until 1961, and is still the national anthem of Liechtenstein. It was also used by the United States of America 1831-1931 and by Germany 1870-1922.
Earlier this century there were attempts to include verses with special application to New Zealand, one of which received royal approval from King Edward VII, but was never adopted. Today God Save The Queen is used as the Royal Anthem by the Queen and the Royal Family in Commonwealth countries where Her Majesty is Head of State.
God Defend New Zealand, whose words were written by Thomas Bracken, and tune composed by John Joseph Woods, was first performed in public on Christmas Day 1876. In 1940 the Crown acquired the copyright as part of New Zealand's centennial celebrations. On 17 November 1977, it was announced in a supplement to the New Zealand Gazette that, with the permission of the Queen, it had been officially adopted as a National Anthem, having equal status with God Save The Queen.
Both anthems may be used at the same occasion, but it is usual for one or the other to be played or performed as is appropriate to the occasion. In practice this means that God Save The Queen is only performed at an occasion attended by the Queen, a member of the Royal Family, or the Governor-General, and when loyalty to the monarchy is to be stressed. God Defend New Zealand is appropriate whenever the national identity of New Zealand is to be stressed.
THE ROYAL STANDARDS
In 1960 the Queen introduced a personal standard to replace the royal standard where the use of the latter might not be appropriate. Since then the pattern of use has altered, so that now it is in effect used as the Queen's personal Commonwealth flag. It is flown to mark her presence in Commonwealth countries of which she is not Queen, and in Commonwealth monarchies that have not adopted a personal flag specifically for The Queen.
The Queen's personal standard is also flown on Commonwealth occasions in the United Kingdom. It consists of a blue field, the initial 'E' and the royal crown, all surrounded by a chaplet of roses. The details are all in gold, and the flag is fringed with gold.
A personal flag for use in New Zealand was adopted in 1962. This consists of the shield of the New Zealand Government Coat of Arms. Both this flag, and the Queen's personal Commonwealth flag have been used in New Zealand, the latter especially on Commonwealth occasions.
ROYAL AND NATIONAL COATS OF ARMS
The Coat of Arms used by the New Zealand Government is based upon the design of James McDonald, the winner of a public competition held in 1906. His design was officially accepted, and introduced by a royal warrant of King George V in 1911. The arms were not however extensively used until after the Second World War.
The design was revised in 1956, when a crown, normally the St Edward's Crown (the Crown with which the Sovereign is crowned, and the symbol of the Monarchy) replaced the lion holding the Union Flag. The motto 'Onward' was replaced by 'New Zealand'. The supporters, a female figure (usually rendered as a European woman) and a Maori chief, were made to face inwards. The chief was given a kapeu (greenstone ear pendant).
Coat of Arms pre-1956
These arms are used on official documents, and are to be found in Government buildings. As they are the insignia of the New Zealand Government, private use, especially of a commercial nature, is not appropriate. The Flags, Emblems and Names Protection Act 1981 now gives legal protection to the Coat of Arms.
It is an offence to display or exhibit or otherwise use any representation of any Royal crown, Royal coronet, Royal cypher, or Royal badge in such a manner as to be likely to cause any person to believe that he does so under the authority, sanction, approval, appointment, or patronage of Her Majesty or the Governor-General, without the authority of Her Majesty or (as the case may require) the Governor-General. This includes any representation that so closely resembles any Royal crown or Royal coronet or Royal cypher or Royal badge as to be likely to cause any person to believe that it is the original.
As the coat of arms of the New Zealand Government is not that of the Queen, she continues to use the Royal Arms in New Zealand, and members of the Royal Family use their own arms, which are variations of the Royal Arms.
The office of New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary to Her Majesty The Queen was created in 1978. He is ex officio a member of the Royal Household and of the Household of the Governor-General. The officer is New Zealand Deputy to Garter King of Arms, and is the representative in New Zealand of the College of Arms. This is the body responsible for granting coats of arms to corporations, local authorities, government departments and private individuals.
THE ROYAL HONOURS SYSTEM
The Governor-General, on behalf of the Queen, holds investitures for the people named in the New Year and Queen's Birthday Honours Lists. Except for those honours that are in The Queen's personal gift, all awards are made on the advice of Ministers, with the approval of The Queen.
New Zealanders wishing to nominate fellow citizens for public recognition should submit their recommendations and their reasons for making them to the Prime Minister, either directly, or through a Member of Parliament. Nominations are then considered by a Cabinet Committee.
Our highest honour is the Order of New Zealand, with a maximum ordinary membership of twenty. The New Zealand Order of Merit was instituted in 1996 to replace many of the traditional awards (such as the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), that are also conferred in the United Kingdom. A third New Zealand only honour is the Queen's Service Order and the associated Queen's Service Medal.
MONARCHY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
New Zealanders participate fully in the Queen's life. They are involved in her activities during visits and through the media. She and her family have visited more parts of New Zealand than most New Zealanders have.
Many newcomers to New Zealand have come from countries with monarchies. They readily identify with our New Zealand monarchy, which is a living institution of the twentieth century, which, unlike many republican systems, is constantly changing and adapting to our modern world. Moreover, the colour and ceremony which surrounds the Monarchy attract the interest of people, especially the young, in our system of government.
The New Zealand Cross
WHAT DOES THE MONARCHY COST NEW ZEALANDERS?
The monarchy actually costs New Zealanders virtually nothing because even if we did not have a monarchy we would have to maintain a presidential establishment. Recent examples of republics indicate that they would probably cost much more. The Monarchy involves a small outlay for royal engagements and tours, and the modest expenses of the Household of the Governor-General- a figure estimated at about one dollar per person per year.
The New Zealand taxpayer contributes nothing to the personal expenses of our Queen, or any member of the Royal Family, nor towards the costs of the royal Household and residences in the United Kingdom, which are met by the British Government through the civil list, grant-in-aid for maintaining royal palaces, and for other departments.
The privy purse, which meets the semi-official expenses of the Queen as Sovereign, is funded from the ancient landed estate known as the Duchy of Lancaster, the private expenditure of the Queen, and for members of the Royal Family are met from personal income.
THE COST OF A REPUBLIC
Adopting a republican form of government would involve considerable cost. This would include the an extensive review of the governmental structure, and a study of the legal and administrative changes necessary. There would have to be a review of legislation.
A new court structure would be necessary to provide for the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council, although appeals could continue even if New Zealand were a republic. This structure would involve additional judges, and a new group of legal counsel prepared to appear, at a suitably high price, in the new highest appeal court.
Any new political office replacing the Queen and the Governor-General would be likely to be more costly than the present arrangements. New Zealand does not pay anything towards the support of the Queen, and the Governor-General has a modest staff and accommodation. In order to give credibility to a president, it would be necessary to significantly increase the amount of money spent. It might perhaps be necessary to construct a Presidential Palace.
The office of a President would be likely to include a greater number of advisers than that of the Governor-General, who at present relies upon the advise of Ministers, and has secretarial support. If the President were elected, the cost of presidential elections would have to be considered. In the American experience these are expensive exercises.
The cost associated with retired presidents is considerable also. The total annual cost in the USA is over US$30m, excluding on-off payments. These include the presidential library, that for Ronald Reagan costing US$43m. By contrast, the pension of New Zealand Governors-General is much smaller than that paid to retired Cabinet Ministers
There would also be a additional costs involved in renaming public bodies, such as the Royal New Zealand Navy, and the cost of stationery, flags, notice-boards, and all the range of symbols of the government and its departments. The royal honours system would, of course, need significant and costly revision.
The review of the constitution consequent upon the adoption of a republican system of government might result in the re-introduction of an upper house of Parliament, with the consequent costs which would be involved in such a move. Such a house could of course be re-introduced in any event - though there has been little support for such a move to date. An entrenched constitution would also produce additional court actions, and a new area for lawyers to practise. Judging from the Canadian experience with the Charter of Rights, this would be a lucrative practise.
The actual cost of a monarchy is not necessarily greater than that of a republic, and many republics are more costly than many monarchies. The greatest single costs in monarchies are the maintenance of "bricks and mortar", the palaces and parks which are part of the national heritage. Yet these would have to be maintained in a republic also. Republics tend to have greater administrative costs. The most expensive is the United States of America, where the president costs some US$689m a year. The Italian president costs US$144m. In contrast, the total cost of the monarchy in the United Kingdom is £32m (US$53m), and in Japan US$44m, in both cases including very substantial maintenance costs.
The monarchies of the smaller European countries are cheaper, indeed, very modest. Those of Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, and Spain cost from US$6m to US$9m annually. In contrast, the Austrian president costs US$5m, and the Irish US$4m annually. Both of these also involve additional election costs, which vary considerably. The cost of the New Zealand monarchy is some $4m (US$2m).
© 1998 The Monarchist League of New Zealand, Inc.