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Queen Elizabeth II
of New Zealand |
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The Governor-General is the personal representative of our Head
of State, Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand.
Neither Queen Elizabeth nor the Governor-General takes an active or initiating
role in the executive functions of government – by binding convention,
the Head of State almost always acts on the advice of Ministers of the
Crown.
One of the distinctive features of our type of democracy – constitutional
monarchy – is that our Head of State is non-partisan. (In many countries,
the alternative to a monarch as Head of State is an elected president
with executive powers.)
New Zealand has chosen to keep the role of Head of State separate from
the “business” of government. The Governor-General is regarded
as a symbol of national unity and leadership.
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