to retain the monarchy. International and domestic aspects New Zealand is one of the Commonwealth realms, 15 independent members of the Commonwealth of Nations that share the same person as sovereign and head of state, and have in common the same royal line of succession. The monarch, currently King Charles III, resides in the oldest and most populous realm, the United Kingdom; however, he and his family have toured New Zealand on occasion. This arrangement emerged during the course of the 20th century. Since the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931 the pan-national Crown has had both a shared and separate character, and the sovereign's role as monarch of New Zealand has been distinct to his or her position as monarch of the United Kingdom. As a result of this development, the monarchy has ceased to be an exclusively British institution, and in New Zealand has become a New Zealand establishment. Nonetheless, for historical reasons, the monarchy is still termed "British" in both legal and common language; this conflicts with not only the New Zealand Government's recognition of a distinctly New Zealand Crown, but also the sovereign's distinct New Zealand title. Effective with the Constitution Act 1986, no British government minister can advise the sovereign on any matters pertaining to New Zealand, meaning that on all matters of the New Zealand state, the monarch is advised solely by New Zealand ministers of the Crown. One of these state duties carried out on the formal advice of the prime minister is the appointment of the governor-general. As the monarch lives outside of New Zealand, the governor-general personally represents the monarch and performs most of his or her domestic duties in their absence, in accordance with Letters Patent 1983. All royal powers in New Zealand may be carried out by both the monarch and governor-general and, in New Zealand law, the two offices are fully interchangeable, mention of one always simultaneously including the other. , the current Governor-General is Dame Cindy Kiro. Title The sovereign did not possess a title unique to New Zealand until the New Zealand Parliament enacted the Royal Titles Act in 1953, altering the style borne by Queen Elizabeth II and giving her the title of Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. Since