Monarchy of New Zealand

Common card · No. 217271

The monarchy of New Zealand is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of New Zealand. The current monarch, King Charles III, acceded to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022 in the United Kingdom. The King's elder son, William, Prince of Wales, is the heir apparent. The Treaty of Waitangi between Queen Victoria and Māori chiefs (rangatira) was signed on 6 February 1840. This laid the foundation for the proclamation of British sovereignty over New Zealand on 21 May 1840; the British monarch became New Zealand's head of state. The country gradually became independent from Britain and the monarchy evolved to become a distinctly New Zealand institution, represented by unique symbols. The individual who is the New Zealand monarch is currently shared with 14 other countries (realms) within the Commonwealth of Nations, in each of which the monarchy is legally separate. As a result...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Mark Tantrum, CC BY 4.0