nominate and vote for their favoured New Zealander to be head of state. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa won the poll. On 23 September 2009, the group launched a book entitled The New Zealand Republic Handbook, at an event hosted at Parliament by United Future leader Peter Dunne with several current and former MPs in attendance, including Green MP Keith Locke, Labour MPs Clare Curran, Charles Chauvel, Nanaia Mahuta and Phil Twyford, and National MPs John Hayes and Paul Hutchison. The group participated in the Reconstituting the Constitution conference at Parliament in September 2010. Dean Knight, senior Victoria University of Wellington law lecturer and New Zealand Republic's constitutional advisor, put forward a so-called "soft-republic". Policies Head of State Referenda Bill In 2002, Green Party MP Keith Locke drafted a member's bill titled the Head of State Referenda Bill, which was drawn from the members' ballot on 14 October 2009. It would have brought about a referendum on the question of a New Zealand republic. Three choices would be put to the public: A republic with direct election of the head of state; A republic with indirect election of the head of state by a three-quarters majority Parliament; and The status quo. If no model gained a majority, a second run-off referendum would be held. If one of the two republican options were supported by the public, New Zealand would become a Parliamentary republic (rather than a presidential republic), with a head of state with the same powers as the Governor-General of New Zealand and serving for one five-year term. In May 2007, the Republican Movement agreed to support the bill to Select Committee stage. The Bill was defeated on 21 April 2010 by 68–53. Constitutional Convention Bill In January 2008, the group supported former Prime Minister Mike Moore's call for his Constitutional Convention Bill to be resurrected, despite Keith Locke MP stating the convention would be "too broad". Governor-General Bill The group supported the Governor-General Act 2010, which modernised the office of Governor-General, making the office's salary taxable. In response to the Bill passing its first reading, the group launched a "citizens process" for selecting the next Governor-General. In its submission to the select committee considering the Bill, the group suggested parliament appoint the next Governor-General with a three-quarters majority plus a majority of party leaders in parliament, with a similar dismissal process and a fixed five-year term. Affiliations In April