Headquarters New Zealand | Newspaper Crown & Koru | |
Chair Sean Palmer (since 2012) Founded 1995; 22 years ago (1995)(Incorporated 3 April 1996) | ||
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. It is currently chaired by Sean Palmer.
Contents
Aims and principles
Monarchy New Zealand's aims and principles include:
Crown & Koru
Crown & Koru is Monarchy New Zealand's quarterly magazine. It features news and in-depth articles relating to the Monarchy of New Zealand as well as information about the organisation. The journal was first published in 1997 and has been produced continuously since then. It was originally known as Monarchy New Zealand but the name was changed in 2010.
History
The organisation formed as the The Monarchist League of New Zealand in 1995 and incorporated in April 1996. 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. It was rebranded Monarchy New Zealand in 2010.
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. The group held a dinner to mark the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II on 9 June of that year.
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."
In 2009 the group welcomed the re-introduction of titular honours to the New Zealand Royal Honours system after years of lobbying. 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".
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.
List of chairs
Former Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, Sir Peter Tapsell, was patron of the organisation until his death in 2012.
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.