Realm of New Zealand

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The Realm of New Zealand is the entire area in which the Queen in right of New Zealand is head of state. The Realm comprises New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency in Antarctica, and is defined by a 1983 Letters Patent constituting the office of Governor-General of New Zealand.

Governor-General

Main article: Governor-General of New Zealand

The Governor-General of New Zealand represents the head of state (Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of New Zealand) in the area of the Realm. Essentially, Governors-General take on all the dignities and reserve powers of the head of state. As of 2011 the Governor-General is Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae.

Sovereignty within the Realm

Map of the Realm of New Zealand

Cook Islands and Niue

Both the Cook Islands and Niue are said to be self-governing in free association with New Zealand. The New Zealand Parliament is not empowered to unilaterally pass legislation in respect of these countries. In foreign affairs and defence issues New Zealand acts on behalf of these countries but only with their advice and consent.

As the Governor-General is resident in New Zealand, the Cook Islands Constitution provides for the distinct position of Queen's Representative. This individual is not subordinate to the Governor-General and acts as the local representative of the Queen in right of New Zealand. As of 2005 Sir Frederick Tutu Goodwin is the Queen's Representative to the Cook Islands. This arrangement effectively allows for the de facto independent actions of internal and most external areas of governance.

According to the Niue's Constitution of 1974, the Governor-General of New Zealand acts as the Queen's representative.

In the Cook Islands and Niue the New Zealand High Commissioner is the diplomatic representative from New Zealand. John Carter is the New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands. As of 2009, Anton Ojala is the New Zealand High Commissioner to Niue.

Despite their close relationship to New Zealand, both the Cook Islands and Niue maintain some diplomatic relations in their own name. Both countries maintain High Commissions in New Zealand and have New Zealand High Commissioners resident in their capitals. In Commonwealth practice, High Commissioners represent their governments, not the Head of State.

New Zealand

New Zealand proper consists of the following island groups:

• the North Island, South Island and neighbouring coastal islands, all contained within the 16 regions of New Zealand
• the Chatham Islands to the east, contained within the Chatham Islands Territory
• the Kermadec Islands to the north and sub-Antarctic islands to the south, all outside local authority boundaries and inhabited only by a small number of research and conservation staff

Tokelau

Tokelau has a lesser degree of de jure independence than the Cook Islands and Niue have, and had been moving toward free association status. New Zealand's representative in Tokelau is the Administrator of Tokelau and has the power to overturn rules passed by the general fono. The people of Tokelau have generally rejected accepting a system of governance with equal powers to that of Niue and the Cook Islands by the means of several referenda conducted by New Zealand and with the United Nations request.

Ross Dependency

The Ross Dependency is constitutionally part of New Zealand. The Governor-General of New Zealand is also the Governor of the Ross Dependency. The Ross Dependency includes McMurdo Station, operated by the United States, which does not recognise New Zealand sovereignty of Ross Dependency. The application of Sovereignty within the Dependency is subsequent upon the enforcement of terms found within the Antarctic Treaty.

Summary

Area	Representative of the Queen	Head of the Government	Legislature	Capital	Population	Land Area
New Zealand	Governor-General	Prime Minister	House of Representatives	Wellington	4,414,400	268,680 km²
Cook Islands	Queen's Representative	Prime Minister	Parliament of the Cook Islands	Avarua	21,388	236 km²
Niue	Representative of the Queen (the Governor-General of New Zealand)	Premier	Niue Assembly	Alofi	2,145	260 km²
Tokelau	Administrator	Ulu-o-Tokelau (Head of the Council of Ongoing Government)	General Fono	None	1,405	10 km²
Ross Dependency	Governor	Chief Executive	None	Scott Base	Scott Base: 10–80; McMurdo Station: 200–1000 (seasonally)	450,000 km²

Future of the Realm

Within New Zealand there exists some support for a New Zealand republic. Should New Zealand become a republic it will retain the Ross Dependency and Tokelau as dependent territories and the Realm of New Zealand would continue to exist without New Zealand, the Ross Dependency and Tokelau. This would not be a legal hurdle to a New Zealand republic as such, and both the Cook Islands and Niue would retain their status as associated states with New Zealand, as New Zealand shares its Head of State with the Cook Islands and Niue in the same way the Commonwealth realms share a Head of State. However, a New Zealand republic would present the issue of independence to the Cook Islands and Niue. Thus, a number of options for the future of the Realm of New Zealand exist should New Zealand become a republic:

• A New Zealand republic with the Cook Islands and Niue remaining in free association with New Zealand, but retaining the Queen of New Zealand as their head of state;
• A New Zealand republic with the Cook Islands and Niue having a new republican head of state as their head of state and becoming independent states;
• A New Zealand republic with the Cook Islands and Niue having their own heads of state, but retaining their status of free association with New Zealand.

See also

• Dominion of New Zealand
• Ross Dependency
• Commonwealth realm
• Monarchy of New Zealand
• Monarchy of the Cook Islands
• Monarchy of Niue
• History of Samoa - a country formerly under New Zealand administration as League of Nations mandate and UN Trust Territory
• History of Nauru - a country where New Zealand was nominal co-trustee along with the with the United Kingdom during a period of League of Nations mandate and later UN Trust Territory under effective Australian administration.

External links

• Letters Patent constituting the office of Governor-General of New Zealand — gives explanation for "Realm of New Zealand"
• "Cook Islands" (NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• "Niue" (NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• "New Zealand and the Tokelau Islands" (NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• "Ross Dependency" (NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs)