A resistance group on a remote island in the Pacific want to ditch Australia and join New Zealand, according to a new survey.
Norfolk Island is technically part of New South Wales, but it’s geographically closer to New Zealand, and part of the submarine ridge that joins Aotearoa with New Caledonia.
This week, a survey by local group Norfolk Island People for Democracy found 37 per cent of islanders asked wanted free association with New Zealand, while 35 per cent wanted free association with Australia.
The survey of more than 450 of its 1800 residents also found 25 per cent wanted full independence from any country, and 3 per cent wanted to fully integrate with Australia.
Norfolk Island was once described by Captain Cook as “paradise”. It’s half the size of Auckland’s Waiheke Island, covered in endemic pine trees and surrounded by churning waves.
It served as a British penal colony before it was settled by 200 descendents of the mutineers from Captain Bligh’s ship, The Bounty.
Since 1914, it has been an external territory of Australia. It was self-governing for 40 years until Canberra dissolved its parliament and set up a new regional council to run it, subject to New South Wales law.
But the move by Australia was unpopular among locals.
With their local GST system scrapped, residents are having to pay federal income and company tax for the first time, as well as land rates to the new council.
Andre Nobbs, a former chief minister of the disbanded Norfolk Island government, previously told Stuff he was open to the island becoming a territory of New Zealand.
“Me personally, I would have no problem with that at all.”
Unlike Australia, New Zealand generally allows its territories to govern themselves rather than being an overbearing host, said Nobbs.
“New Zealand has a track record of working with those territories to make them productive. Australia wants to turn Norfolk Island into a welfare state,” he added.
Source: Stuff
Featured Image: Group on a remote island demanding self-government. want to ditch Australia and join New Zealand. Photo / Abc / Via google image
