being from one head of state to another). The issuance of passports falls under the Royal Prerogative, and all New Zealand passports are issued in the monarch's name and remain his property. Parliament The sovereign is one of the two components of the New Zealand Parliament. The monarch and governor-general do not participate in the legislative process save for the granting of the Royal Assent, which is necessary for a bill to be enacted as law; either figure or a delegate may perform this task; this is now a matter of convention. The Crown is further responsible for summoning and dissolving the parliament, after which the governor-general usually calls for a general election. The new parliamentary session is marked by either the monarch or the governor-general reading the Speech from the Throne; as they both are traditionally barred from the House of Representatives (the elected component of parliament), this ceremony takes place in the Legislative Council Chamber. Queen Elizabeth II personally opened parliament on seven occasions: January 1954, February 1963, March 1970, February 1974, February 1977, February 1986, and February 1990. Despite the sovereign's exclusion, members of parliament must still express their loyalty to him and defer to his authority, as the Oath of Allegiance must be recited by all new parliamentarians before they may take their seat. Further, the official opposition is traditionally referred to as His Majesty's Loyal Opposition, illustrating that, while its members are opposed to the incumbent government, they remain loyal to the sovereign (as personification of the state and its authority). Courts The sovereign is responsible for rendering justice for all his subjects, and is thus traditionally deemed the fount of justice. He does not personally rule in judicial cases; instead the judicial functions of the Royal Prerogative are performed in trust and in the King's name by judges and justices of the peace. The monarch is immune from criminal prosecution, the notion in common law being that the sovereign "can do no wrong"; the monarch cannot be prosecuted in his own courts for criminal offences. The monarch, and by extension the governor-general, also grants immunity from prosecution, exercises the royal prerogative of mercy, and may pardon offences against the Crown, either before, during, or after a trial. Cultural role Royal presence and duties Members of the royal family have been present in New Zealand since the late 1800s, their reasons including participating in military