Monarchy New Zealand

This article is about the monarchist league. For the monarchy, see Monarchy of New Zealand.

Monarchy New Zealand Arikinui Aotearoa
Chair	Sean Palmer (since 2012)
Founded	1995; 30 years ago (1995) (Incorporated 3 April 1996, unincorporated 18 April 2019)
Headquarters	New Zealand
Newspaper	Crown & Koru
Ideology	Monarchism
Website
Monarchy New Zealand Facebook

Monarchy New Zealand is a national, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote, support and defend the constitutional monarchy of New Zealand. In addition to the general public, the organisation's membership includes a number of academics as well as numerous lawyers and political figures.^[1] It is currently chaired by Dr Sean Palmer.^[2][3]

Aims and principles

According to its website, Monarchy New Zealand's aims and principles include:^[4]

• To bring together New Zealanders of diverse backgrounds to celebrate and support the Monarchy of New Zealand.
• To promote, and engage in, the study of the Monarchy, and the roles of the Crown in the New Zealand system of democratic government.
• To inform the New Zealand public of the contemporary importance of the Monarchy for the New Zealand identity.

Crown & Koru

Crown & Koru is Monarchy New Zealand's newsletter, published one to two times a year. It features news relating to the monarchy of New Zealand and information about the organisation.^[5] The journal was first published in 1998^[6] under the title Monarchy New Zealand; it changed its title to Crown & Koru in 2010, and became an online-only publication from 2015.^[7]

History

The organisation formed as The Monarchist League of New Zealand in 1995 and incorporated in April 1996.^[8] The founder was Merv Tilsley, and founding members included Professor Noel Cox (later a long-term Chairman of the organisation) and his brother, Auckland lawyer and vexillolographer John Cox, who later founded the New Zealand Flag Institute.^[9] It was rebranded Monarchy New Zealand in 2010.^[10]

In 2002, the group campaigned against the abolition of appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and against the creation of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.^[11] The group held a dinner to mark the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II on 9 June of that year.^[12]

The group defended a private memo written by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales in November 2004, in which he stated:

"What is wrong with people nowadays? Why do they all seem to think they are qualified to do things far above their capabilities? It is a consequence of a child-centred education system which tells people they can become pop stars, high court judges or brilliant TV presenters or infinitely more competent heads of state without ever putting in the necessary work or having the natural ability."

The League said that the Prince was misinterpreted, and that "[t]he memo itself was understandable and quite proper in the context in which it was written."^[13]

In 2009 the group welcomed the re-introduction of titular honours to the New Zealand royal honours system.^[14] Also in 2009 the group described the decision by John Key's National Government to allow the Tino Rangatiratanga flag to fly from public buildings on Waitangi Day as "potentially divisive".^[15]

In 2011 the group held a celebration in honour of the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, with around 300 monarchy supporters watching and celebrating the London wedding at the Mercure Hotel in central Auckland.^[16]

In April 2019, Monarchy New Zealand was dissolved as an incorporated society.^[17]

List of chairs

• Mervyn Tilsley (1995 – 2000)
• Professor Noel Cox (2000 – 2010)
• Simon O'Connor (2010 – 2012)
• Dr Sean Palmer (Chair since 2012)

Former Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Sir Peter Tapsell was patron of the organisation from 2000 until his death in 2012.^[18]

Former Chair Simon O'Connor was elected to Parliament in November 2011. Former Vice-Chair Paul Foster-Bell was elected to Parliament in May 2013.

Publications

• Crown & Koru – quarterly journal of Monarchy New Zealand (ISSN 1179-6588)
• New Zealand’s Monarchy – Monarchist League of New Zealand, (1998)

See also

• Monarchy of New Zealand
• New Zealand Republic

References

1. This is shown by the published names of members already visible e.g. Professor Noel Cox, a constitutional law expert was Chairman 2000–2010, as well as two MPs, being Patrons from different political parties.
2. Monarchy New Zealand. "Executive of Monarchy New Zealand". Retrieved 7 May 2019.
3. "Monarchy or republic? The debate for NZ's head of state rages on". Stuff. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
4. Monarchy New Zealand. "Aims of Monarchy New Zealand". Retrieved 7 May 2019.
5. Monarchy New Zealand. "Latest Journal". Retrieved 7 May 2019.
6. Zealand, Monarchist League of New Zealand (1 January 1998). "Monarchy New Zealand : the newsletter of the Monarchist League of New Zealand Incorporated". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
7. National Library of New Zealand. "Monarchy New Zealand". Retrieved 7 May 2019.
8. Companies Office: Societies and Trusts online. Search for organisation number 715413. "Monarchy New Zealand". Retrieved 5 July 2011.
9. "Blomkamp-Cox Solicitors: Firm Profile". Blomkamp-Cox Solicitors. 9 January 2012. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
10. Monarchy New Zealand. "Crown and Koru: February 2010 Volume 15 Issue 0" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
11. Monarchist League of New Zealand (9 December 2002). "Monarchist League Against Supreme Court Law". Retrieved 9 August 2011.
12. "Monarchist League To Hold Golden Jubilee Dinner". Scoop.co.nz. 4 June 2002. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
13. Monarchist League of New Zealand (22 November 2004). "Prince of Wales Misinterpreted Again". scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
14. "Knighthoods restored". Scoop.co.nz. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
15. "Maori Flag Decision Defended By Prime Minister". Radio New Zealand. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
16. "Royals still relevant, claims Monarchy NZ". Newshub. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
17. Office, Companies (18 May 2019). "Dissolution of incorporated societies notice published 18 April 2019 | Societies and Trusts". societies.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
18. Monarchy New Zealand (6 April 2012). "Monarchy New Zealand Patron Sir Peter Tapsell Passes Away | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz (Press release). Retrieved 24 October 2021.

External links

• Monarchy New Zealand