Sydney, Sept. 13 (BNA): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand will not actively take any measures to become a republic in the short term after the death of Queen Elizabeth, although she expects to eventually become a single Pacific nation.
Ardern told reporters on Monday when asked if the change in the British monarch would spark talks about the country’s republican system.
New Zealand is one of 15 kingdoms that consider the British monarch as head of state including Australia and Canada, although the role is largely ceremonial. But there has been debate for some time about whether the Pacific nation should become a republic, with the citizen being the head of state.
“I think that’s where New Zealand is going in time,” Ardern said. “I think it has the potential to happen in my life, but I don’t see it as a short-term action or anything on the agenda anytime soon.”
Ardern said New Zealand will celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s death with a memorial service and a one-off public holiday on September 26. Ardern will represent New Zealand, along with the governor-general, at the Queen’s funeral, and she will leave for London on Wednesday.
The Queen’s death has also reignited debate over the future of the monarchy across Australia’s Tasman Sea. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has previously expressed support for the republic, said his Labor government would not seek a referendum in its first term.
HF