Monarchy of New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King of New Zealand |
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| Te Kīngi o Aotearoa (Māori) | |
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Royal Arms of New Zealand
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| Incumbent | |
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| Charles III since 9 September 2022 |
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| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| Heir apparent | Prince William, Duke of Cambridge |
The monarchy of New Zealand is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of New Zealand. The current monarch, King Charles III, ascended the throne on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on 9 September 2022 (NZST).
The Treaty of Waitangi between Queen Victoria and Māori was signed in 1840, and as a result, the British sovereign became New Zealand's head of state. New Zealand gradually became independent from Britain and the monarchy evolved to become a distinctly New Zealand institution, represented by unique symbols. The New Zealand monarch is currently shared with 14 other countries (realms) within the Commonwealth of Nations, all independent and the monarchy of each being legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of New Zealand (Māori: Kīngi o Aotearoa) and, in this capacity, he, and other members of the royal family undertake various public and private functions across New Zealand. The King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
All executive authority is vested in the monarch, and royal assent is required for parliament to enact laws and for letters patent and Orders in Council to have legal effect. The monarch's authority is subject to the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy, and her direct participation in these areas of governance is limited. Most of the related powers are instead exercised by the elected members of parliament, the ministers of the Crown generally drawn from amongst them, and the judges and justices of the peace. Other powers vested in the monarch, such as the appointment of a prime minister, are significant but are treated only as reserve powers and as an important security part of the role of the monarchy.
Since the monarch resides in the United Kingdom (the oldest Commonwealth realm), most of the royal constitutional and ceremonial duties within the Realm of New Zealand are typically carried out by his or her representative, the governor-general of New Zealand.
The role of the monarchy is a recurring topic of public discussion. Some New Zealanders think New Zealand should become a republic with a New Zealand resident as the head of state, while others wish to retain the monarchy.
Contents
International and domestic aspects
Charles III is the reigning sovereign of each of the 15 Commonwealth realms.
New Zealand is one of the Commonwealth realms, 15 independent members of the Commonwealth of Nations that share the same person as sovereign and head of state, and have in common the same royal line of succession. The monarch, currently King Charles III, resides in the oldest and most populous realm, the United Kingdom.
This arrangement emerged during the course of the 20th century. Since the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931 the pan-national Crown has had both a shared and separate character, and the sovereign's role as monarch of New Zealand has been distinct to his or her position as monarch of the United Kingdom. As a result of this development, the monarchy has ceased to be an exclusively British institution, and in New Zealand has become a New Zealand establishment. Nonetheless, for historical reasons, the monarchy is still termed "British" in both legal and common language; this conflicts with not only the New Zealand Government's recognition of a distinctly New Zealand Crown, but also the sovereign's distinct New Zealand title.
Effective with the Constitution Act 1986, no British government minister can advise the sovereign on any matters pertaining to New Zealand, meaning that on all matters of the New Zealand state, the monarch is advised solely by New Zealand ministers of the Crown. One of these state duties carried out on the formal advice of the prime minister is the appointment of the governor-general. As the monarch lives outside of New Zealand, the governor-general personally represents the King and performs most of his domestic duties in her absence, in accordance with Letters Patent 1983. All royal powers in New Zealand may be carried out by both the monarch and governor-general and, in New Zealand law, the two offices are fully interchangeable, mention of one always simultaneously including the other. As of 2021[update], the current Governor-General is Dame Cindy Kiro.
Cook Islands, Niue and territories
The sovereign of New Zealand also serves as monarch to Cook Islands and Niue, territories in free association with New Zealand within the larger Realm of New Zealand. The New Zealand monarchy is unitary throughout all jurisdictions in the realm, with the headship of state being a part of all equally. As such, the sovereignty of Cook Islands and Niue is passed on not by the governor-general or parliament of New Zealand but through the overreaching Crown itself as part of executive, legislative and judicial operations in all three areas.
The self-government provisions for the Cook Islands within the Realm of New Zealand allow the Queen to be directly represented as head of state in Cook Islands affairs by the Queen's representative, while the governor-general of New Zealand represents the monarch in matters pertaining to the entire realm. The governor-general (themselves represented by state services commissioner) represents the Queen in Niue, carrying out all the monarch's constitutional and ceremonial duties of state on her behalf. The administrator of the territory of Tokelau is a government official appointed by New Zealand's minister of foreign affairs to represent the New Zealand Government—not the monarch personally.
Personification of the state
The monarch is the employer of all government staff (including judges, members of the Defence Force, police officers, and parliamentarians), as well as the owner of all state land and buildings (Crown property including Crown land), state-owned companies and agencies (Crown entities), and the copyright for all government publications (Crown copyright).
As the embodiment of the state, the monarch is the locus of Oaths of Allegiance, required of many employees of the Crown, as well as by new citizens, as per the Oath of Citizenship laid out in the Citizenship Act.
Constitutional role
New Zealand's constitution is made up of a variety of statutes and conventions that are either British or New Zealand in origin, and together give New Zealand a parliamentary system of government wherein the role of the mornach is both legal and practical. The Crown is regarded as a corporation sole, with the sovereign, in the position of head of state, as the centre of a construct in which the power of the whole is shared by multiple institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority.
The vast powers that belong to the Crown are collectively known as the Royal Prerogative, the exercise of which does not require parliamentary approval, though it is not unlimited; for example, the monarch does not have the prerogative to impose and collect new taxes without the authorisation of an Act of Parliament. The consent of the Crown must be obtained before parliament may even debate a bill affecting the sovereign's prerogatives or interests, and no Act of Parliament binds the Queen or her rights unless the Act expressly provides that it does.
Executive
The New Zealand Government (formally termed Her Majesty's Government) is defined by the Constitution Act as the monarch acting on the advice of the Executive Council. One of the main duties of the Crown is to ensure that a democratic government is always in place. This involves appointing a prime minister to thereafter head the Cabinet, a committee of the Executive Council charged with advising the Crown on the exercise of the Royal Prerogative, and legally required to keep the governor-general up to date on state affairs.
In the construct of constitutional monarchy and responsible government, the ministerial advice tendered is typically binding, a situation described as "The Queen reigns, but the government rules, so long as it has the support of the House of Representatives." The Royal Prerogative belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers, and the monarch or governor-general may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional constitutional crisis situations, thereby allowing the monarch to make sure that the Government conducts itself in compliance with the constitution. There are also a few duties which must be specifically performed by, or bills that require assent by, the Queen; these include applying the royal sign-manual and Seal of New Zealand to the appointment papers of governors-general, the confirmation of awards of New Zealand royal honours, and the approval of any change in her New Zealand title.
Foreign affairs
The Royal Prerogative also extends to foreign affairs: the governor-general conducts treaties, alliances and international agreements on the advice of the Cabinet. Prior to the Lomé Convention in 1975, Queen Elizabeth II, rather than the governor-general, would sign treaties on behalf of New Zealand. Following the signing of the convention, it was decided that the governor-general could sign such instruments. The governor-general, on behalf of the monarch, also accredits New Zealand high commissioners and ambassadors, and receives similar diplomats from foreign states. The letters of credence and recall were formerly issued by the monarch, but now are issued in the name of the incumbent governor-general (instead of following the usual international process of the letters being from one head of state to another). The issuance of passports falls under the Royal Prerogative, and all New Zealand passports are issued in the monarch's name.
Parliament
The sovereign is one of the two components of the New Zealand Parliament. The monarch and governor-general do not participate in the legislative process save for the granting of the Royal Assent, which is necessary for a bill to be enacted as law; either figure or a delegate may perform this task; this is now a matter of convention. The Crown is further responsible for summoning and dissolving the parliament, after which the governor-general usually calls for a general election. The new parliamentary session is marked by either the monarch or the governor-general reading the Speech from the Throne; as they both are traditionally barred from the House of Representatives (the elected component of parliament), this ceremony takes place in the Legislative Council Chamber. Queen Elizabeth II personally opened parliament on seven occasions: January 1954, February 1963, March 1970, February 1974, February 1977, February 1986, and February 1990.
Despite the sovereign's exclusion, members of parliament must still express their loyalty to the mornach, as the Oath of Allegiance must be recited by all new parliamentarians before they may take their seat. Further, the official opposition is traditionally referred to as Loyal opposition, illustrating that, while its members are opposed to the incumbent government, they remain loyal to the sovereign (as personification of the state and its authority).
Courts
The sovereign is responsible for rendering justice for all his subjects, and is thus traditionally deemed the fount of justice. He does not personally rule in judicial cases; instead the judicial functions of the Royal Prerogative are performed in trust and in the King's name by judges and justices of the peace. The monarch is immune from criminal prosecution, the notion in common law being that the sovereign "can do no wrong"; the monarch cannot be prosecuted in his own courts for criminal offences. The monarch, and by extension the governor-general, also grants immunity from prosecution, exercises the royal prerogative of mercy, and may pardon offences against the Crown, either before, during, or after a trial.
The Crown and the Defence Force
The Crown sits at the pinnacle of the New Zealand Defence Force. The governor-general is commander-in-chief and under the Defence Act 1990 is authorised to "raise and maintain armed forces", consisting of the New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, and Royal New Zealand Air Force. All members of the armed forces swear their allegiance to the sovereign and his or her heirs and successors. The governor-general commissions officers to command the forces.
Though the monarch acts as colonels-in-chief of various regiments in the military, these posts are only ceremonial in nature, reflecting the Crown's relationship with the military through participation in military ceremonies both at home and abroad.
The Crown and Māori
Māori interaction with the Crown dates back to 1832, when King William IV of the United Kingdom appointed James Busby as British Resident, to address concerns on the part of Māori in the Bay of Islands over expanding European settlements in that area. On 28 October 1835, Busby oversaw a hui (forum) held at Waitangi, at which a flag was selected for New Zealand and a declaration of independence written by Busby was signed by 36 Māori chiefs; both were acknowledged the following year by the King in a letter from Lord Glenelg.
As a result, the declaration's ratification by the British Parliament in 1836, officials in the Colonial Office determined in 1839 that a treaty of cessation would need to be signed with Māori for the British Crown to acquire sovereignty over New Zealand. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs, and is considered the founding document of the nation. The Treaty identifies the Crown's right to kawanatanga, or "governorship", leading one Māori academic to argue that kawanatanga, or Her Majesty's Government in New Zealand, is party to the treaty.
Since the treaty's implementation, a number of petitions have been made by Māori directly to the sovereign in London, whom they felt they had a special relationship, the first coming from northern chiefs in 1852. This and all subsequent appeals were directed back to the sovereign's New Zealand ministers for advice on how to proceed. The results were not always favourable to Māori, who have communicated their discontent to the monarch or other royals.
In 1953, for coronation, Elizabeth II was given a kiwi feather korowai cloak, which she wore when attending a pōwhiri, or Māori welcoming ceremony, also speaking partly in Māori.
History
Lieutenant James Cook first sailed to New Zealand in 1769. There he mapped the entire coastline and tentatively claimed the land for King George III of the United Kingdom. Beginning in 1790, an increasing number of European settlers came to New Zealand. In 1833, with growing lawlessness amongst traders and settlers, the British government appointed James Busby as British Resident to protect British trading interests. Despite Busby's presence, trouble increased. In 1840, the British government sent Captain William Hobson to New Zealand as lieutenant governor; he was instructed to negotiate a voluntary transfer of sovereignty from the Māori to the British Crown. The resultant Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840, at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. Following the Treaty, the islands of New Zealand became a Crown colony and Queen Victoria became the monarch over New Zealand.
In the early 19th century, some Māori who visited London were introduced to royalty. The first, Moehanga (or Te Mahanga) met King George III and Queen Charlotte in 1806. Other rangatira (chiefs) to meet the monarch include Hongi Hika, who met King George IV in 1820.
In 1852, the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 was passed, establishing responsible government in New Zealand. The Act reserved significant constitutional powers for the monarch, including the right to refuse assent.
Queen Victoria's second son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, became the first British royal to visit New Zealand. He landed in Wellington on 11 April 1869, aboard his ship HMS Galatea.
In 1907, New Zealand achieved the status of 'Dominion', which denoted that it was a country of the British Empire (and later the Commonwealth of Nations) with autonomy in domestic and foreign affairs. In 1917, letters patent of King George V set out the powers, duties and responsibilities of the governor-general and the Executive Council. The governor-general remained an appointee of the British Crown on the advice of the British Cabinet.
The concept of a fully independent New Zealand sharing the person of the sovereign with the United Kingdom and other countries only emerged gradually over time through constitutional convention. A series of Imperial Conferences held in London, from 1917 on, resulted in the Balfour Declaration of 1926, which provided that the United Kingdom and the Dominions were to considered as "autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate to one another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown". The governor-general of New Zealand, as with all the other governors-general of the Dominions, became the direct representative of the monarch in person, rather than a diplomatic channel between the New Zealand and British governments.
The Crown was further separated amongst its Dominions by the Statute of Westminster in 1931, an Act of the British parliament, which gave New Zealand and other Dominions the authority to make their own laws in all matters, while requiring them all to seek each other's assent for changes to monarchical titles and the common line of succession. The British Parliament specifically gave up any claim to legislate for a Dominion, save at its own request. New Zealand ratified the Statute in 1947, after the passing of the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947. A convention persisted that New Zealand prime ministers consulted the British government on the appointment of governors-general until 1967.
Although the New Zealand monarchy is now independent, there remains a strong association with the British monarchy and its history. For example, there are many portraits of earlier (pre-1840) English kings and queens in New Zealand government buildings, including Government House, Wellington. Several royal portraits were gifted by Governor-General Lord Norrie.
Recent developments
| “ | I look forward to continuing to serve to the best of my ability in the years to come. It fills me with great pride to stand before you here today to express my lasting respect and deep affection for this country and for New Zealanders everywhere. | ” |
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—Queen Elizabeth II, 25 February 2002 |
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One of the first post-Second World War examples of New Zealand's status as an independent monarchy was the alteration of the monarch's title in 1953. For the first time, the official New Zealand title mentioned New Zealand separately from the United Kingdom and the other realms, to highlight the sovereign's role specifically as king/queen of New Zealand under the concept of the 'divisible crown'. Elizabeth II's title at that time was Queen of the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories. Accordingly, the name of the country in official usage was also changed to the Realm of New Zealand. The Royal Titles Act 1974 further revised the monarch's New Zealand title to remove the reference to the United Kingdom.
More recently, the Constitution Act 1986 has become the principal formal statement of New Zealand's constitution. This law formally establishes that the sovereign (in Right of New Zealand) is the head of state of New Zealand and that the governor-general is her representative; each can, in general, exercise all the powers of the other.
List of monarchs
Listed here are the six monarchs who have reigned over New Zealand—the British colony of New Zealand, from 1840; followed by the Dominion of New Zealand, beginning in 1907; and finally the present-day sovereign state of New Zealand. Originally, these monarchs reigned in their right as British sovereigns.
| Portrait | Regnal name (Birth–Death) Royal dynasty |
Reign | Full name | Consort | |
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| Start | End | ||||
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Victoria (1819–1901) House of Hanover |
6 February 1840 | 22 January 1901 | Alexandrina Victoria | Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Governors: William Hobson, Robert FitzRoy, Sir George Grey, Thomas Gore Browne, Sir George Ferguson Bowen, Sir George Ferguson Bowen, Marquess of Normanby, Sir Hercules Robinson, Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, Sir William Jervois, Earl of Onslow, Earl of Glasgow, Earl of Ranfurly | |||||
| Premiers/Prime ministers: Henry Sewell, Sir William Fox, Sir Edward Stafford, Alfred Domett, Sir Frederick Whitaker, Sir Frederick Weld, George Waterhouse, Sir Julius Vogel, Daniel Pollen, Sir Harry Atkinson, Sir George Grey, Sir John Hall, Sir Robert Stout, John Ballance, Richard Seddon | |||||
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Edward VII (1841–1910) House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
22 January 1901 | 6 May 1910 | Albert Edward | Alexandra of Denmark |
| Governors: Earl of Ranfurly, Lord Plunket | |||||
| Prime ministers: Richard Seddon, Sir William Hall-Jones, Sir Joseph Ward | |||||
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George V (1865–1936) House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1917) House of Windsor (after 1917) |
6 May 1910 | 20 January 1936 | George Frederick Ernest Albert | Mary of Teck |
| Governors/Governors-general: Lord Plunket, Lord Islington, Earl of Liverpool, Viscount Jellicoe, Sir Charles Fergusson, Lord Bledisloe, Viscount Galway | |||||
| Prime ministers: Sir Joseph Ward, Sir Thomas Mackenzie, William Massey, Sir Francis Bell, Gordon Coates, George Forbes, Michael Joseph Savage | |||||
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Edward VIII (1894–1972) House of Windsor |
20 January 1936 | 11 December 1936 | Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David | None |
| Governor-general: Viscount Galway | |||||
| Prime minister: Michael Joseph Savage | |||||
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George VI (1895–1952) House of Windsor |
11 December 1936 | 6 February 1952 | Albert Frederick Arthur George | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon |
| Governors-general: Viscount Galway, Sir Cyril Newall, Lord Freyberg | |||||
| Prime ministers: Michael Joseph Savage, Peter Fraser, Sir Sidney Holland | |||||
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Elizabeth II (1926–2022) House of Windsor |
6 February 1952 | 9 September 2022 | Elizabeth Alexandra Mary | Philip Mountbatten |
| Governors-general: Lord Freyberg, Sir Willoughby Norrie, Viscount Cobham, Sir Bernard Fergusson, Sir Arthur Porritt, Sir Denis Blundell, Sir Keith Holyoake, Sir David Beattie, Sir Paul Reeves, Dame Catherine Tizard, Sir Michael Boys, Dame Silvia Cartwright, Sir Anand Satyanand, Sir Jerry Mateparae, Dame Patsy Reddy, Dame Cindy Kiro | |||||
| Prime ministers: Sir Sidney Holland, Sir Keith Holyoake, Sir Walter Nash, Sir Jack Marshall, Norman Kirk, Sir Bill Rowling, Sir Robert Muldoon, David Lange, Geoffrey Palmer, Mike Moore, Jim Bolger, Dame Jenny Shipley, Helen Clark, Sir John Key, Sir Bill English, Jacinda Ardern | |||||
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Charles III (born 1948) House of Windsor |
9 September 2022 | Charles Philip Arthur George | Camilla Parker Bowles | |
| Governors general: Dame Cindy Kiro | |||||
| Prime ministers: Jacinda Ardern | |||||
Timeline of kings and queens regnant
See also
- Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand
- Māori King Movement
- Monarchy of the Cook Islands
- States headed by Elizabeth II
- Monarchies in Oceania
- List of monarchies
- Royal Succession Act 2013 (Bill 99-1 in New Zealand)
- Royal Train (New Zealand)
Images for kids
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Charles, Prince of Wales, (pictured in New Zealand, 2015) is the heir apparent to the throne.
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The Queen on a 2009 coin of the Cook Islands
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Executive Councillors with Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy (front, centre), 26 October 2017
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The Queen, accompanied by Prince Philip, is greeted with a pōwhiri before addressing a crowd. Waitangi, December 1953.
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King George VI speaks with a RNZAF Flight Lieutenant Les Munro at RAF Scampton, 27 May 1943
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Queen Elizabeth II wore a korowai (woven Māori cloak) during her first tour of New Zealand in 1953–54.
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Stamps issued in New Zealand to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, as Queen of New Zealand
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Charles, Prince of Wales, greets a crowd in Westport, 7 November 2015
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A statue of Queen Victoria in Queens Gardens, Dunedin
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