Dunne keen for vote on a republic

Peter Dunne. Photo / Mark Mitchell

United Future leader Peter Dunne is renewing calls for New Zealand to have a referendum on becoming a republic - just as the Australian Government has gone cold on the idea.

"I am tired of politicians who say it is probably inevitable we will become a republic at some stage but who are unwilling to do do anything to bring it about - that is extremely weak," he said yesterday.

Mr Dunne said the public's view should be sought in "bite-sized chunks" with the first question being put this term of Parliament: should new Zealand have its own head of state, yes or no.

If the answer was yes, then a full proposal would be developed and put to a second referendum in the following term, 2011-2014. Issues such as the place of the Treaty of Waitangi and how the head of state would be chosen would then be developed.

If that proposal was endorsed, then the Republic of New Zealand could be initiated some time after the 2017 election, Mr Dunne suggested.

New Zealand is due to have a referendum this term on MMP - it was a National promise - but Mr Dunne thinks one issue should not be "muddied" by the other and that there should be separate votes.

Mr Dunne favours New Zealand becoming a republic with a president along the lines of the Irish model, directly elected by the public every five years.

He said that one option might be to make the decision now but leave the implementation until after Queen Elizabeth II died.

A poll released last week by the Republican Movement indicated that 43 per cent of respondents wantedNew Zealand to become a republic when the Queen's reign ended and 45 per cent supported Charles as king, with 13 per cent saying they did not know.

The Australian Labor Government last week downgraded its earlier enthusiasm to move the country towards republicanism.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has responded positively to a recommendation from the 2020 summit held in Canberra last April which had suggested a referendum be held alongside the general election in 2010.

It was one of more than 1000 ideas from the summit but in the Government's formal response last week there was no commitment to any formal process for testing public opinion.

It referred, instead, to ongoing reform of the constitution "where appropriate and will draw on the input of the summit in thinking about possible proposals for constitutional change".

Prime Minister John Key couldnot be reached for comment lastnight.