Abstract:
© 2018 The Round Table Ltd. In Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – all of which were once loyal dominions in an indivisible British Empire – what might be the chances of successful moves to ditch archaic feudal symbols and create new republican institutions and symbols as this twenty-first century unfolds?When the Crown research project began the author thought New Zealand would not be at the forefront of constitutional change towards a republican constitution. This paper identifies some of the reasons for that view, including the special relationships between Māori and the Crown. It identifies the significant legal and political difficulties facing those seeking to achieve constitutional reform on the Queen’s position as the head of state in either Australia or Canada. It concludes, therefore, that New Zealand could be at the forefront of Commonwealth postcolonial settler states transitioning to a new constitutional order. The paper also argues for the importance of abolishing royal prerogative powers and better defining government’s accountability for exercises of state power, even if moves towards a republic are not imminent.
