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33-770: CMAG was established in November 1995 at Millbrook Resort , in Queenstown , New Zealand , as a result of the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme , to punish serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration. It is composed of the Foreign Ministers (or equivalent) of eight Commonwealth member states, which may be augmented by either one or two further representatives of a region or interest involved in

66-530: A bachelor's or higher degree, and 6 (5.4%) people had no formal qualifications. 48 people (43.2%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 39 (35.1%) people were employed full-time, and 21 (18.9%) were part-time. Commonwealth of Nations membership criteria The criteria for membership in the Commonwealth of Nations , which apply to current and prospective member states, have been altered by

99-766: A constitutional link with the United Kingdom. Concerns that this would allow open-ended expansion of the Commonwealth and dilute its historic ties prompted the 1995 CHOGM to launch the Inter-Governmental Group on Criteria for Commonwealth Membership , to report at the 1997 CHOGM, to be held in Edinburgh , Scotland. The group decided that, in future, new member states would be limited to those with constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member state. In addition to this new rule,

132-537: A particular case. There have been twenty-seven ordinary meetings, two special meetings, and one extraordinary meeting, called unevenly over the past twelve years. For logistical reasons, 29 of the 30 meetings have been held in either London (headquarters of the Commonwealth) or New York City (headquarters of the United Nations ). In its first meeting, CMAG decided that its initial focus would be upon

165-548: A population density of 43 people per km . It is part of the Wakatipu Basin statistical area. Before the 2023 census, Millbrook had a different boundary, covering 3.29 km (1.27 sq mi). Using that boundary, Millbrook had a population of 123 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 36 people (41.4%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 39 people (46.4%) since the 2006 census . There were 57 households, comprising 63 males and 63 females, giving

198-875: A series of documents issued over the past eighty-two years. The most important of these documents were the Statute of Westminster (1931), the London Declaration (1949), the Singapore Declaration (1971), the Harare Declaration (1991), the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme (1995), the Edinburgh Declaration (1997), and the Kampala Communiqué (2007). New member states of the Commonwealth must abide by certain criteria that arose from these documents,

231-516: A sex ratio of 1.0 males per female, with 12 people (9.8%) aged under 15 years, 9 (7.3%) aged 15 to 29, 57 (46.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 45 (36.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 97.6% European/ Pākehā , 4.9% Māori , 2.4% Pasifika , and 2.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.7% had no religion, and 46.3% were Christian . Of those at least 15 years old, 45 (40.5%) people had

264-506: A state that already does not satisfy Commonwealth standards. This would tarnish the reputation of the Commonwealth and confirm the opinion of many people and civic organisations that the leaders of its governments do not really care for democracy and human rights, and that its periodic, solemn declarations are merely hot air." Both CHRI and Human Rights Watch have found that respect for democracy and human rights in Rwanda has declined since

297-523: The 2007 CHOGM , held in Kampala , Uganda . According to Don McKinnon, the members of the Commonwealth decided in principle to expand the membership of the organisation to include countries without linkages to the Commonwealth, but Eduardo del Buey stated that it would still take some time until the criteria are reformed. Outstanding applications as of the 2007 meeting included former Belgian colony Rwanda (application submitted in 2003 and approved in 2009),

330-660: The 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting , allowing the admission of Rwanda at the 2009 Meeting . The formation of the Commonwealth of Nations is dated back to the Statute of Westminster , an Act of the British Parliament passed on 11 December 1931. The Statute established the independence of the Dominions , creating a group of equal members where, previously, there was one (the United Kingdom) paramount. The solitary condition of membership of

363-511: The Wakatipu Basin - a glacial valley bordered by the Crown Range , The Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu . The resort includes five restaurants, a bar/café, a spa and a 36 hole golf course . Millbrook is privately owned by the Ishii family, though individual residences within the resort are owned by a diverse group of investors, largely from New Zealand but also from Australia and around

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396-598: The Commonwealth chose to regard Ireland as no longer being a member when Ireland repealed the External Relations Act under which the King had played a role in its diplomatic relations with other states, although the Irish government's view was that Ireland had not been a member for some years. With India on the verge of promulgating a republican constitution , the 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference

429-647: The Commonwealth were affirmed in Singapore on 22 January 1971, at the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The fourteen points clarified the political freedom of its members, and dictated the core principles of the Commonwealth: world peace , liberty , human rights , equality , and free trade . However, neither the terms nor the spirit of the Declaration were binding, and several openly flouted it; despite little conformity, only Fiji

462-668: The Edinburgh criteria requires new member states to have either constitutional or administrative ties to at least one current member state of the Commonwealth of Nations. Traditionally, new Commonwealth member states had ties to the United Kingdom . The Edinburgh criteria arose from the 1995 accession of Mozambique , at the time the only member state that was never part of the British Empire (in whole or part). The Edinburgh criteria have been reviewed, and were revised at

495-468: The Head of the Commonwealth. The arrangement prompted suggestions that other countries, such as France , Israel, and Norway , join. However, until Western Samoa joined in 1970, only recently independent countries would accede. The first statement of the political values of the Commonwealth of Nations was issued at the 1961 conference, at which the members declared that racial equality would be one of

528-536: The Programme in other cases (particularly Sierra Leone and The Gambia ). On 29 May 1999, the day after the inauguration of Nigeria's first democratically elected President since the end of military rule, Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ , the country's suspension was lifted, on the advice of the CMAG. In 1995, Mozambique , formerly a Portuguese colony , joined the Commonwealth, becoming the first member state to have never had

561-404: The cornerstones of the new Commonwealth, at a time when the organisation's ranks were being swelled by new African and Caribbean members. The immediate result of this was the withdrawal of South Africa 's re-application, which it was required to lodge before becoming a republic, as its government's apartheid policies clearly contradicted the principle. Further political values and principles of

594-468: The embryonic Commonwealth was that a state be a Dominion. Thus, the independence of Pakistan (1947), India (1947), and the Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ) (1948) saw the three countries join the Commonwealth as independent states that retained the King as head of state. On the other hand, Burma (1948) and Israel (1948) did not join the Commonwealth, as they chose to become republics. In 1949,

627-424: The event of breaching its rules. These included but were not limited to expulsion from the Commonwealth. Adjudication was left to the newly created Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). At the same CHOGM, the Programme was enforced for the first time, as Nigeria was suspended. On 19 December 1995, the CMAG found that the suspension was in line with the Programme, and also declared its intent on enforcing

660-440: The first half of the 20th century. Later ties with France were severed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide . President Paul Kagame also accused it of supporting the killings and expelled a number of French organisations from the country. Since the end of the genocide, English has increased in use. Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak stated that Rwanda's application "was boosted by its commitment towards democracy as well as

693-440: The former French colonies of Algeria and Madagascar , and the former British colony of Yemen and condominium of Sudan . The revised requirements stated that: Rwanda became the 54th nation to join the Commonwealth at the 2009 CHOGM . It became the second country (after Mozambique) not to have any historical ties with the United Kingdom. Rwanda had been a colony of Germany in the 19th century and later of Belgium for

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726-594: The former rules were consolidated into a single document. They had been prepared for the High Level Appraisal Group set up at the 1989 CHOGM , but not publicly announced until 1997. These requirements, which remain the same today, are that members must: On the advice of Secretary-General Don McKinnon , the 2005 CHOGM , held in Valletta , Malta , decided to re-examine the Edinburgh criteria. The Committee on Commonwealth Membership reported at

759-526: The group has included the eight members, plus a representative of the Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office 's country. These have been, successively, Nigeria , Malta , Uganda , and Trinidad and Tobago . Millbrook Resort Millbrook Resort is a luxury resort near Queenstown , New Zealand . It is located 4 kilometres to the west of the historic gold-mining town of Arrowtown . The resort covers 650 acres of

792-533: The issue of Zimbabwe, which had dominated the affairs of the Commonwealth since 2001, became moot and was not discussed from 2004 onwards, while Fiji was taken off the agenda due to encouraging progress in that country's political progress. At its twenty-fourth meeting, in September 2004, it was decided that (at least in principle) CMAG should meet once a year, and preferably in New York. An extraordinary meeting

825-555: The most important of which are the Harare principles and the Edinburgh criteria. The Harare principles require all member states of the Commonwealth, old and new, to abide by certain political principles, including democracy and respect for human rights. These can be enforced upon current members, who may be suspended or expelled for failure to abide by them. To date, Fiji , Nigeria , Pakistan , and Zimbabwe have been suspended on these grounds; Zimbabwe later withdrew. The foremost of

858-494: The three (then-) military dictatorships of The Gambia , Nigeria , and Sierra Leone , and approved of the Commonwealth's suspension of Nigeria from the organisation earlier in the year. These three countries would form the mainstay of the work of CMAG, and form the whole of its reports, until the 1999 coup d'état in Pakistan necessitated it to vote unanimously to suspend Pakistan from the Commonwealth. Nigeria's reintegration

891-628: The values espoused by the Commonwealth". Consideration for its admission was also seen as an "exceptional circumstance" by the Commonwealth Secretariat . Rwanda was admitted despite the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) finding that "the state of governance and human rights in Rwanda does not satisfy Commonwealth standards”, and that it “does not therefore qualify for admission". CHRI also commented that: "It does not make sense to admit

924-506: The world. In 1995, Millbrook was the venue for a top-level meeting of Commonwealth heads of government , meeting to design a policy programme of the Commonwealth of Nations , designed to ratify the basic political membership criteria of the Commonwealth. The programme was agreed and announced on 12 November 1995. Millbrook is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 3.25 km (1.25 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 140 as of June 2024, with

957-400: Was called for the 8 December 2006 in light of the 2006 coup d'état , at which it was decided to suspend Fiji's membership of the Commonwealth. On 12 November 2007, the Commonwealth gave Pakistan a 10-day deadline to restore its constitution and lift other emergency measures or face suspension. By 22 November 2007, the CMAG voted to suspend Pakistan from Commonwealth Membership. Since 2003,

990-581: Was deemed complete by 1999, when its suspension was lifted; indeed, it was chosen to be a member of CMAG prior to the thirteenth meeting. In 2000, the situations in Fiji and the Solomon Islands were put under permanent scrutiny, as was that in Zimbabwe in 2001. Gambia was taken off the group's formal agenda at the seventeenth meeting. Due to its acrimonious withdrawal from the Commonwealth in 2003,

1023-432: Was dominated by the impending departure of over half of the Commonwealth's population. To avoid such a fate, Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent proposed that republics be allowed to remain in the Commonwealth, provided that they recognise King George VI as ' Head of the Commonwealth '. Known as the London Declaration , this agreement thus established the only formalised rule as being that members must recognise

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1056-610: Was ever expelled for breaching these tenets (on 15 October 1987, following the second coup of that year ). The Harare Declaration, issued on 20 October 1991 in Harare , Zimbabwe , reaffirmed the principles laid out in Singapore, particularly in the light of the ongoing dismantling of apartheid in South Africa . The Declaration put emphasis on human rights and democracy by detailing these principles once more: In 2002, Zimbabwe

1089-530: Was suspended for breaching the Harare Declaration. Subsequently, when the Commonwealth refused to lift the suspension, Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2003. The Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme , issued on 12 November 1995 at the Millbrook Resort , near Queenstown , New Zealand , clarified the Commonwealth's position on the Harare Declaration. The document introduced compulsion upon its members, with strict guidelines to be followed in

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