The passing of Queen Elizabeth II marks the end of her 70-year reign and a new era with King Charles III as monarch. I would not describe myself as either a monarchist or a republican; I am a practical person who supports our constitutional monarchy because it works. I see having our head of state on the other side of the world as an advantage; they have the benefit of a perspective that distance affords them, and they don’t become entangled in the politics of the day.
No doubt there will be those that use the Queen’s passing as an opportunity to promote republicanism, but I for one will not support this, and I don’t believe the majority will either. The big constitutional issue at hand is not whether to continue with the King as our head of state, it is the principle of one-person-one vote, and each vote having the same value.
We take this for granted now, but remember, on 19 September 1893 we led the world in one-person-one vote with each vote having the same value, when New Zealand became the first self-governing country to have universal suffrage when women were given the vote. That principle – that we all have an equal vote – is now under threat.
Take the Rotorua District Council Representative Arrangements Bill, which would have given 21,700 Maori roll voters three seats: the same number of seats as the 55,600 general roll voters. That means the Maori roll votes would have been worth two-and-a-half times more than the general roll votes. This inequity would have been unthinkable in 1893!
And the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngai Tahu Representation) Act, which gives Ngai Tahu two seats on Environment Canterbury with no electoral accountability, thus diminishing the value of ratepayers’ votes.
We should not be distracted by the republicans. No, our constitutional monarchy has served us well and will continue to do so. Of far more importance is maintaining the fundamental principle of our democracy: that is one-person-one vote, each of equal value. That is what our forebears fought and died to preserve, and it is our responsibility to ensure it is maintained.
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