ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Monarchy of New Zealand

In New Zealand, there is someone called a monarch who is in charge of the country. Just like a teacher is in charge of a classroom, the monarch is in charge of the country. The current monarch of New Zealand is Queen Elizabeth II, who lives in England but is still the monarch of New Zealand.

The monarch doesn't really make all the decisions in the country though. New Zealand has a system called a constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch is mostly a figurehead or a symbol of the country, but they don't do all of the work. Instead, there are other people called politicians and a government who help to make the important decisions in New Zealand.

One thing the monarch does is approve the laws made by the government before they become official. They also visit New Zealand sometimes and do things like open new buildings. The monarch is also in charge of appointing a person called a Governor-General to represent them in New Zealand.

So, in summary, the monarchy of New Zealand is a system where a queen, who lives in England, is the symbolic leader of the country, but most of the decisions are made by elected politicians and a government.