The Republic of New Zealand Party

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Republic of New Zealand Party (RONZP or "The Republicans") is a small political party in New Zealand.

The party's primary objective is to end the New Zealand monarchy and establish a Republic of New Zealand in its place. Their proposed system would see a directly elected head of state - though the party leader Kerry Bevin has been quoted as saying that "No Head of State is necessary; the Monarchy and the Governor General are irrelevant". It also supports the adoption of a written and codified constitution (New Zealand currently has an unwritten constitution), intending that this constitution would supersede and nullify the Treaty of Waitangi. Also proposed are referendums on important issues and the abolition of any government institutions based on ethnicity. The party also has a relatively strong position on social matters, particularly "fathers' rights" issues.

The party's leader is Kerry Bevin, replacing Gray Phillips, who stood as an independent candidate for Parliament in the 2005 elections, receiving 12 votes. The party was officially registered on 15 July 2005. The founder was John Kairau.

In the 2005 elections, the party won 344 votes or 0.02%, well below the 5% threshold required to enter parliament without an electorate seat (which they did not win). This was the lowest amount of votes won by any party at that election.

The party is not to be confused with the Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand, which is a non-partisan orgainisation.