This is a specious argument to make on a site called hacker news on the internet in 2022. The fact that video could be livestreamed globally from NZ with only a GoPro and a phone renders your argument moot. NZ is not a hugely powerful country or in a militarily strategic location (much), but it's a wealthy developed country that's part of the Anglosphere and fully plugged into the digital economy. If you can't see how NZ could be leveraged this way, you need to think more about technology, history, and how they have impacted each other through the centuries.
That's the opposite of a figurehead. She has more power than any other western politician.
NZ also has a constitution, the constitution is made up of multiple discreet documents including Te Tiriti O Waitangi, the founding document of New Zealand, the bill of rights act, the human rights act, the constitution act, etc.
The lack of a constitution is in some ways a good thing, democracy has to evolve as time evolves, some countries place too much of their identity in outdated laws which are 231 years old.
Other countries rely too much on a badly translated treaty not signed by half the country describing an arrangement that no longer exists that's 182 years old.
Might be best not to throw stones from single-paned glass houses.
Out of curiosity, when you say "THE lack of a constitution" [emphasis mine], where are you referring to?
I thought this was such a bold argument that I must have misunderstood. Thanks for the clarification.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_wea... says it's the 28th most wealthiest country. Interestingly it has a high wealth to gdp ratio, so a choice of total "wealth" as the criteria makes it seem higher than looking at total GDP rank where NZ is 51st.