Joye Adams shows some of her royal memorabilia. Photo / George Novak
It’s Queen’s Birthday Weekend but some think it is time to sever ties with the British monarchy while others feel strongly that NZ belongs in the Commonwealth.
A Royalist
Joye Adams loves Queen Elizabeth II and Harry, but can't stand Charles and thinks William is a bit dull.
The Mount Maunganui resident, and RSA member of nearly 40 years, is a staunch royalist and thinks New Zealand should remain part of the Commonwealth, under the rule of the Queen.
The 67-year-old can't imagine anyone else being up to the job.
"If you look through the American presidents, who the hell of any one of those would you want in charge of New Zealand? I cannot ever see any elected person being head of our country. I couldn't look up to anybody I don't think."
With the Queen as sovereign the country wasn't at risk of ending up in a military dictatorship like Uganda under the rule of Idi Amin, she said.
"While she's in charge of New Zealand, we're safe from all the palaver that goes on.
"While you've got the Queen there, you haven't got them."
As a young girl, Mrs Adams travelled from Tokoroa with her family to see the Queen twice during her coronation visit in 1953.
First as she passed through the Tirau/Putaruru turn-off, where Mr Adams' father decorated a farm hedge with bunting, and again from the fourth storey of a building in Queen St, Auckland.
She has also watched the Queen open Parliament in London and seen her drive past in Hamilton during a visit in the 1970s.
"I got a fabulous photo of the car going past," she said.
When Princess Diana visited Tauranga to officially open Baycourt in 1982, Mrs Adams waited for three hours to catch a glimpse and managed to capture a treasured photo of the princess by holding a Kodak camera above her head. While she doesn't go out to see the royals these days, Mrs Adams follows the media coverage of their visits closely and has a growing admiration for Prince Harry.
"I think he's quite a nice bloke and he doesn't mind showing it all off either."
The avid letter writer has also written to the Queen twice concerning Tauranga resident John Gregson's Albert Medal and received polite responses on Her Royal Majesty's behalf.
She is now pondering a letter letting the Queen know what a wonderful job her grandson did in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Flag Despite being a royalist, Mrs Adams is not fazed by the idea of changing the flag.
"I've got no problem changing it, it's just a flag," she told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
While Kiwi soldiers fought underneath it, they could also fight under a new flag, she said.
She's "not a designer" but likes the suggestion of a diagonal green and blue design with a white koru in the middle.
"I don't want to see a kiwi on it, it's such an ugly bird," she said.
She also likes the red, black and white design of the Maori (Tino Rangatiratanga) flag.
Mrs Adams said the highly disputed $27 million for the flag referendum was "a drop in the ocean".
"Yes, it could go and buy houses or feed children. It could also go and do the job of finding a new flag, it's just money. You can't do it for nothing."
A Republican
Hans Laven thinks it's time New Zealand moved on from the monarchy.
The local psychologist, who stood for the Republic of New Zealand Party, isn't an anti-royalist but would prefer to see an elected head of state in New Zealand. The change would help give the country its own sense of identity and be more representative of the population, he told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend. Being born into a certain family was not a good assurance of wisdom or intelligence, he said.
"I think an elected head of state is more likely to be based on that person's merit rather than their birth."
He also had concerns about the monarchy holding so much power.
"It's outdated. It's also dangerous. Our politicians and armed services swear allegiance to the Queen, not the people of New Zealand. We've been fortunate that they haven't exacted that power but they could any day."
If New Zealanders felt decisions lay with them, rather than "mother England", it would encourage them to apply their minds to the country's future, he said.
"Moving into a republic would allow the tension between English government and Maori to move forward," he said.