As I examine the New Zealand government’s consideration of extending the parliamentary term from three to four years, I am compelled to speak out against this move. The 1986 Constitution Act, which established the current parliamentary system, was passed without proper consultation or input from the people, effectively disenfranchising them from the decision-making process.
I firmly believe that this move was a clear overstepping of convention, as the government failed to follow the established precedent of holding a referendum to alter the constitution. Instead, they relied on the obscure and rarely used Section 268 of the Imperial Laws Application Act 1988, which allowed for the amendment of the Constitution Act without a referendum.
In my research, I have found that the 1986 Constitution Act is, in fact, illegal. The Act was enacted by a process that was not authorized by any prior enactment, and therefore, the whole of the Act is invalid. This renders the government’s consideration of extending the parliamentary term as a further attempt to consolidate power and undermine the democratic process.
Furthermore, I believe that the Governor-General’s role in signing the Act into law was merely ceremonial, serving only as a rubber stamp for parliamentary decisions, rather than providing any meaningful checks and balances on power. This undermines the principles of representative democracy and reinforces the illegitimate nature of the government.
In light of this evidence, I firmly believe that the New Zealand government has been operating without legitimacy since the enactment of the 1986 Constitution Act. Their consideration of extending the parliamentary term is a further attempt to consolidate power and undermine the democratic process. I urge the government to address the underlying issues of illegitimacy and work towards establishing a more genuine and representative democracy, along the lines of a constitutional republic.
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