The campaign for a New Zealand Head of State is working. Our annual poll was conducted between April 6 and April 21 and shows 47% of Kiwis want our next Head of State to be a New Zealander. This is a rise of 3% since June 2014.
This is great news for our campaign with the poll showing a corresponding decrease in support for the British Monarch to 46%. This is the highest ever result in our annual poll and the first time we have measured higher support than the Monarchy. Undecided voters remained at 7%.
Our polling shows that royal visits and events have no discernable long term effect on the campaign. There is a lot of hype for a while and the news media is filled with lifestyle stories and celebrity news but the core issue, having an effective and democratically selected Head of State, does not go away.
The campaign remains focused on the goal of achieving a Kiwi Head of State and a New Zealand republic. It is not deterred or discouraged by the theatricalities of Royalty. New Zealanders will be convinced when they see a clear and well thought out alternative. That is what we are giving them.
The same poll taken in April and June 2014 showed our support remaining strong on 44%. Based on polls taken during the Charles visit in 2012 we predicted the bump in support for the British monarch would not last. In April support for the monarch to be 'King of New Zealand' was at 46% with undecideds/don't know at 10%. It rose to 49% following the visit of William and Kate but has subsided again to 46%.
The next two weeks will see huge amounts of publicity about royal babies and the visit of Prince Harry. Two people who will never be our Head of State. It will also be a time for New Zealanders to question the relevance of relying on the royal family to supply us with a head of state when quite clearly we are quite capable of selecting a New Zealander to do the job.
The campaign for a New Zealand Head of State will carry on pointing out the deficiencies inherent in the current arrangements. It will not stop highlighting the advantages of shifting to the democratic alternative.
The poll of 1000 people was carried out on landlines by Curia Market Research. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.2%. It was conducted in accordance with the New Zealand Political Polling Code and the Research Association New Zealand Code of Practice.