WELLINGTON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- A former New Zealand prime minister is promoting the country's move to a republic while calling for a modern written constitution.
Geoffrey Palmer, who was prime minister of a right-leaning Labor Party government from 1989 to 1990, said he and another legal expert were drafting a proposed new constitution in a bid to boost public confidence in government.
"We aim to provide a model and stimulate the debate," Palmer said in a statement Wednesday.
"We believe this country needs a modern constitution that is easy to understand, reflects New Zealand's identity, enhances public confidence in government, and better protects rights and liberties."
Compared with overseas constitutions, New Zealand's constitution was highly unusual in that it was made up of "a hodge-podge of rules," was not located in one place and was very hard to find.
Parts of what could be considered the current constitution were located in 45 Acts of Parliament, 12 international treaties, nine areas of common law, eight constitutional conventions, several executive orders and other legal instruments.
The proposed new constitution would replace the idea of the Crown, referring to New Zealand's monarchy, with a legal entity of the State.
"We will be making the case for the substitution of a New Zealander as head of state, but whether the Queen remains head of that state would be up to New Zealanders. We simply want to show that it can be done, and can be done in a way that involves a minimum of fuss," he said.
New Zealand's present constitutional rules could be altered very easily by Parliament with no consultation and no popular mandate.
"In our view, government should be conducted under the law. That law should apply to everyone, including Parliament. People have rights and they should be provided in a constitution that is supreme law and binds the Parliament," he said.
New Zealand would be more successful and better governed if there was constitutional change, said Palmer, who received a knighthood under the monarchical honors system in 1991.
New Zealand's monarchy is that of the United Kingdom.
