New Zealanders vote to get rid of the Queen

They’ve been leaning towards the idea for a while now and a new poll out over the weekend has shown that the majority of New Zealanders are sick of being under the British Monarchy.

A whopping 59 per cent said they’d rather get rid of the Queen and have their own elected head of state instead.

The poll was conducted by campaigners NZ Republic and asked a random selection of 1,006 people aged over 18 who they want as a head of state.

Only 34 per cent said the British royal family should continue in the role, while 44 per cent wanted a directly elected New Zealand head of state and 15 per cent wanted a leader elected by MPs.

The results have some people calling for a vote in Australia to decide whether or not we should stay in the Commonwealth.

It’s an issue that has divided many for years, with some people saying it’s high time we stood on our own and others saying there’s nothing wrong with the current system.

Last time Australia voted on the issue in 1998, those who wanted a republic lost 55 per cent to 45 per cent. But would things be different this time around?

With Britain choosing to leave the EU earlier this year and Australia trying to cement its place on the world stage as a political influencer there are suggestions that the results could be very different if there was another referendum.

What are your thoughts?

Should Australia stay as part of the Commonwealth? Or should we leave the Royal Family behind and stand on our own?