While the media coverage of the new royal baby has been overwhelmingly positive, there are always a few spoilsports who take every opportunity to complain. Their childish diatribes generally follow a pattern as predictable as it is boring. They demonstrate how much New Zealand's monarchy has evolved in the last 60-70 years and how little republicans have changed.
The arguments used against the monarchy are quite familiar to New Zealanders. They ought to be, they're the same arguments that have been used since the 1950s.
Republicans earnestly declare that New Zealand ought to "grow up" to "cut the apron strings" and to "stop bowing and scraping to Britain". It is hard to believe that, in the early 21st century, there are still people who think New Zealand is not already a mature country, entirely free from its historical, colonial bonds.
In the last few decades, New Zealand has demonstrated to the world exactly how mature and confident it is. Our anti-apartheid efforts, our anti-nuclear stance, our peace-keeping missions and our pursuit of environmental protection are well-known across the globe. No one in the world believes that New Zealand is a vassal state of some British Imperial overlords.
Republicans cling to an outdated view of New Zealand. In many ways they have to. Only by convincing Kiwis that they are not mature, proud and independent can they advance their own agenda.
