MEDIA RELEASE 3 June 2013

"The latest polling commissioned by the Republican Movement shows that many New Zealanders don't want a former politician to take the role of head of State once the Queen's reign ends" said Lewis Holden, chair of the Republican Movement.

"The poll shows that 40 per cent of respondents want in an independent head of State, a New Zealand citizen. Of those who don't want this to happen, one in five don't want a politician as head of State. This is issue is easily solvable, and the Republican Movement will be putting forward these solutions in our submission to the Constitutional Advisory Panel this month" continued Mr Holden.

"The Queen's reign is coming to an end. The minds of New Zealanders are now focusing on the question of the monarchy's succession, a debate which will bring into focus the undemocratic nature of the institution. What this poll shows is that the only way to resolve this debate is to have a referendum on the issue" concluded Mr Holden.

NOTES

The phone poll of 957 voting-age New Zealanders was conducted between 15 - 30 April 2013. The question asked was: "When Queen Elizabeth’s reign ends, what is your preference for New Zealand out of these three options:

1. Prince Charles becomes King of New Zealand
2. New Zealand has a New Zealander as Head of State, who is appointed by Parliament
3. New Zealand has a New Zealander as Head of State, who is elected by the popular vote"

The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.2%. The poll was commissioned by the Republican Movement and undertaken by Curia Market Research Limited. For more opinion polls, see our page on polling: www.republic.org.nz/polling

ENDS

The Republican Movement is a network of New Zealanders who want our head of state to be elected by New Zealanders - either directly or indirectly. We are committed to:

• involving all New Zealanders in the republic debate; providing relevant and reliable information;
• focusing on ideas, not personalities;
• winning a referendum to establish the republic;

Creating a republic does not require any change to the Treaty of Waitangi, flag or Commonwealth membership.

For more information, see our website: www.republic.org.nz

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