<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> 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, Queen Elizabeth II, ascended the throne on the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952 . </P> <P> All executive authority is vested in the monarch and her assent is required for parliament to enact laws and for letters patent and Orders in Council to have legal effect . However, the authority for these acts stems from the New Zealand populace and, within the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy, the sovereign's direct participation in any of these areas of governance is limited . Most of the related powers are exercised by the elected parliamentarians, the ministers of the Crown generally drawn from amongst them, and the judges and justices of the peace . Other powers vested in the monarch, such as the appointment of a prime minister, are significant, but are treated only as reserve powers and as an important security part of the role of the monarchy . </P>

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