The monarchy of New Zealand

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, Queen Elizabeth II, ascended the throne on the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. Elizabeth's eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, is heir apparent.

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 person who is the New Zealand monarch is today shared with 15 other countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, all being independent and the monarchy of each legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled Queen of New Zealand (Māori: Kuini o Aotearoa) and, in this capacity, she, her consort, and other members of the royal family undertake various public and private functions across New Zealand and on behalf of the country abroad. However, the Queen 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. However, 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, most of the royal constitutional and ceremonial duties within the Realm of New Zealand are typically carried out by a viceregal 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.

New Zealand is one of the Commonwealth realms, 16 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 Queen Elizabeth II, resides in the oldest and most populous realm, the United Kingdom, though she has occasionally toured New Zealand.
International and domestic aspects

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, the monarchy is often still inaccurately described as "British" in both legal and common language, for reasons historical, political and of convenience; 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 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.[8] As the monarch lives outside of New Zealand, one of the most important of these state duties carried out on the advice of the prime minister is the appointment of the governor-general, who represents the Queen and performs most of her domestic duties in her absence.[18][19] All royal powers in New Zealand may be carried out by both the monarch and governor-general and, in New Zealand law, the offices of monarch and governor-general are fully interchangeable, mention of one always simultaneously including the other.

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 Queen 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,[19] 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, however, 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
Constitutional role