So what could a new Aotearoa New Zealand Republic look like?
I look at the racist hatefest 3 Waters and co-governance has imploded into, and I don’t think we have post Covid emotional energy or basic civility and cultural maturity to debate a Republic in the wake of the death of the Queen, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep dreaming about what a future state of the Aotearoa New Zealand Republic could look like.
For me any binding Constitution needs to have the Treaty and importantly the power dynamic of the obligations and responsibilities the Government has towards securing every citizens rights and agency at its heart.
I would envisage an Upper Chamber of Parliament 50-50 split between Māori and Pakeha who would vote on issues that impacted the Treaty and would have the power to hold up legislation akin to the House of Lords if they weren’t in majority agreement.
For me the Aotearoa New Zealand Republic would be one land, two people.
Māori, the first nation and ‘Pakeha’ who encompass everyone who came after that.
I would replace the symbolism of the Crown with New Zealand itself.
Be honest, what would we actually fight for in NZ? Our country!
Why not swear allegiance to New Zealand, this amazing land?
Why not promise to uphold this land rather than some phantom Empire on the other side of the planet?
By replacing the Crown with New Zealand, we change our entire world view and mind space.
We shouldn’t fear rebuilding our identity and relationship with that identity.
First published on Waatea News.
The language is arbitrary. We could have an English description of New Zealand, or a Maori description of Aotearoa. OR, we could have an alien description from a trillion lightyears away that says flardy flardy flardy flar.
It doesn’t matter how we describe New Zealand using language as long as it’s identities and history, present and future is protected and we need to understand how common law can protect Maori rights and interests
One land two people is not going to work. Elevating the status of Maori will simply wash all those non-maori with aspirations to power into the cauldron, leading to an imposition of te bureau-reo on all things quantifiable. Plus Martyn who is to decide what constitutes ‘maori’ per se? a committee?
What rights and/or laws do non Maori “need?”
Not really true to the treaty at all, which was between Maori and the British crown/monarchy. So doesn’t work to have one side represented which is Maori and then abandon the British/crown monarchy by calling everyone after that Pakeha.
The treaty was between two nations and people, Britain and NZ Maori – woke cancelling Britain/british descendants seems to be outside of the treaty.
NZ is one of the few countries to still have free welfare, free health care etc that’s from the British side.
Stop cancel culture in NZ! It doesn’t represent history or fairness.
Exactly.
No, no. That’s just an ad-hoc argument.
The treaty inshrined British common law into the New Zealand parliament.
A better question is what relationship did the crown have with her subjects?
I don’t think there is any realistic prospect of a Second Chamber that is 50% Maori and 50% Pakeha. Not that this is a necessary precursor to being a Republic.
If the current co-governance proposals are controversial, then a second Chamber proposal with serious legislative power would be much more so. Wouldn’t such a Chamber deem everything to be Treaty related.
One of my reasons for saying it is a non-starter is how would it come into existence? The most obvious option would be a referendum. What are the chances of that passing? The second option is simply to legislate for it. I presume this would have to be part of an explicit manifesto commitment, especially by the major party to a coalition. However, such legislation is also easily repealable, especially if it has been highly contested. Unless doubly entrenched. But can a double entrenchment be done by a bare majority?
Much more likely are incremental developments, just as have occurred over the last 40 years. For instance some forms of co-governance will stick. Especially for the conservation estate. Also specific initiatives like Te Aka What Ora Maori Health Authority.
It depends how the framers pose the question of do you want increased representation under a republic or something more aligned to how Act pose the question of a republic being Maori are is apartheid there for a Republic kiwi style has to be a non Maori one.
Would the treaty still be valid if Britain became a republic, given that it was between the British crown and the Maori people?
If NZ went republican I would think that a new treaty would have to be entered into anyway, since the British crown would no longer be part of the picture , and at that time any translation anomalies could be resolved, and any other modifications thought necessary could be made.I assume the Maori king would sign the new document on behalf of the Maori people, rather than having to assemble all the Maori rangatira as we did in 1940.
Even if we had our own constitution, it could be altered by a 75% majority in parliament, so the treaty, within the terms of that constitution, would not be entirely secure. At the present time I would imagine that the crown could refuse any change that parliament wished to make in that regard, given that it would seem to obviate crown’s responsibilities to the Maori people, unless the Maori people themselves signaled, independently of parliament, their consent.
If Britain became a republic and NZ didn’t, then King Charles would presumably remain our head of state. He might come out here and take up residence in government house.
Even if we had our own constitution, it could be altered by a 75% majority in parliament, so the treaty, within the terms of that constitution, would not be entirely secure. At the present time I would imagine that the crown could refuse any change that parliament wished to make in that regard, given that it would seem to obviate crown’s responsibilities to the Maori people, unless the Maori people themselves signaled, independently of parliament, their consent.
How ad-hoc do you guys have to be in order to create a non-maori republic in New Zealand! Absolutely ridiculous.
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