Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her government will not take any steps towards turning the country into a republic following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Ardern said she believed New Zealand would eventually become a republic country one day and hoped that it would happen in her lifetime, but now her government has even more important issues ahead of it. This is the prime minister’s first comments on the debate on the Republic of New Zealand after the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Ardern has already expressed her support for making the country a republic. Under the current system, the British emperor is the head of state of New Zealand, which is headed by the Governor General of New Zealand. Nowadays, the role of the Governor General is considered formal.
However, many argue that New Zealand has not been able to fully come out of the shadow of its colonial past and only if this happens will it be able to become a truly independent nation.
Ardern said, “There has been a debate for many years. I have made my view clear several times. I am confident that New Zealand will move forward in time. I believe this will be possible only when I am alive.”
But this is not something that early implementation is on the agenda at the moment. Becoming a republic is not something that her government has planned to discuss at any time, she said. Ardern said, “We have a lot of challenges before us. This is a big, important debate. I don’t think it should happen anytime soon or should happen.”