25% of Kiwis want New Zealand to be part of Australia!

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Behold, Newstralia
New Zealand is talking about whether to become part of Australia. It would be a sad step for a country which has used its independence to set an example for the rest of the world, says Simon Schama.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8612287.stm

I'm really shocked, I never knew this. For a moment I thought it was an April fools joke. Simon Schama explains that 25% of New Zealanders want NZ to merge with Australia - become the 7th State of the Australian "common wealth", 50% of Kiwis want to debate question. The reasons include - many Kiwis are leaving NZ for Oz causing a "brain drain" and NZ will do better economically if it was part of Oz. Well while their flags are nearly the same, I don't think this is a good idea at all.


New Zealand's Flag


Australia's Flag

the fruit or the bird, and why do they care?

As an Australian, I wouldn't object at all to New Zealand joining the Commonwealth of Australia (it was on offer back at Federation). I like New Zealand and New Zealanders.

However, I think that the two countries are significantly different. Australia is an old geologically-inactive continent with Aboriginal hunter-gatherer inhabitants from 40,000 years ago. New Zealand is a younger, much more geologically active country, with a Maori indigenous culture - and a much larger proportion of the population come from this indigenous group. New Zealand society is much more heavily influenced by the Maori people than modern Australia is influenced by Aboriginal people, at least in my experience.

The New Zealand government understands volcanoes and Maori culture. To Australians, they are exotic and "foreign". I tend to think that the special needs and situation of New Zealand would get lost in a "take-over".

I do think close economic ties - maybe something like the European Union - would be worthwhile. Perhaps a currency union. But New Zealand is often more advanced in its social attitudes than Australia is, and I (as an Australian) appreciate being able to point to New Zealand as an example of what we should be doing. So I can see economic advantages for New Zealand, but not necessarily any social advantages, in uniting with Australia. Something that achieves the economic benefits but leaves the social and political differences alone would be good.

I want Australia and New Zealand to be close friends - "family". But I don't want our distinct identities swallowed up.

Mind you, if I didn't live where I do now near Sydney, I would love to live on the shores of Lake Manapouri gazing at the view each morning ... at least during the summer. With global warming, I might even need to move to New Zealand to stay cool - maybe Dunedin!

It's a bit like Newfoundland joining Canada in 1949.

Firstly I suspect that the 25% who responded live or have lived in Australia already.

New Zealand were offered a chance to join the Australian federation in the 1890's when some Australian states weren't even signed up. For their own reasons of identity, they declined and fair enough. However, New Zealand will struggle in the future as the thing that makes it unique is what restricts it, that is its isolation from the rest of the world. If not for the European Union, I suspect some states would currently be stagnating or in decline. With migration, New Zealand risks being another pacific failed state in the long run. They have the carrying capacity to support about 15 million people. Recently some polls have been taken here to scrap state governments. I myself am in support of this as they are a relic of colonialism and a duplication of bureaucracy, not the oversight people think they are. Any merger would need to take that into account. Rather than a 7th state, why not population based house of representatives in federal parliament.

If a union happened, I'd have no problem with the 2 countries being called: "Australia and New Zealand" like Trinidad & Tobago. I only say Australia first as it's easier to say. In fact, we've competed in the olympics as Australasia, served in war and peace. There'd need to be support on both sides of the ditch though.

Nah, The New Zealand govt is keeping good care of NZ. If they join Australia they risk losing that.

I remember reading that something like 7 to 20% of Canadians would favor becoming part of the United States. I don't think it's that surprising that a minority of a smaller country would favor becoming part of or form some sort of union with a larger neighboring country that for the most part shares the same culture and language.

Well ... New Zealand moved closer to Australia by 30 cm after a magnitude 7.8. earthquake on the 22nd July last year - but still, it will take millions of years for NZ and Oz to merge at this rate. I wonder what the Sheep will look like then?

Quake moves NZ towards Australia
A massive earthquake last week has brought New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists say.
The 7.8 magnitude quake in the Tasman Sea has expanded New Zealand's South Island westwards by about 30cm (12in).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8162628.stm

Funny, the BBC website automatically put a link to a discussion about closer ties between Oz and NZ on the page. Seems the BBC computer has a sense of humour too.

I thought they were already here.

New Zealanders have the right to travel and live in Australia without even needing a passport.

The problem is that thousands of Pacific Islanders are moving to New Zealand, becoming citizens and then moving to Australia.
There is nothing wrong with that either except that they are becoming a gang and crime problem.

It sounds like a bad idea. New Zealand has always been seperate from Australia. There's no real reason for them to assimilate themselves into Australia. They're a good example of two seperate countries working together actually...

I plan on moving to New Zealand one day... Well, I would like to.

Kiwis and Aussies both have distinct cultures, and we also have our rivalries. From personal experience, I think that NZ culture is slightly more "British" and Australian culture is slightly more "American". An European style union (with other countries in the Pacific), maybe, but I would be against simply merging the countries.

Geology and wildlife are also very distinct. There aren't volcanoes/earthquakes in Australia, and there aren't snakes in NZ.

Vicente Fox actually was a big supporter of a NAU with Canada, Mexico, and the United States.