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John Corridor, a former premier of New Zealand, cited distance as a deciding issue throughout a convention on federation in Melbourne, Australia, in 1890.
“Nature has made 1,200 impediments to the inclusion of New Zealand in any such federation within the 1,200 miles of stormy ocean which lie between us and our brethren in Australia,” he stated, including: “Democratic authorities should be a authorities not just for the folks, and by the folks, however, whether it is to be environment friendly and provides content material, it should be in sight and inside listening to of the folks.”
Australians, for his or her half, thought New Zealand would possibly change its thoughts. Talking on the identical convention, William McMillan, an Australian politician, expressed such a hope.
“I consider that,” he stated, “when public opinion has sufficiently penetrated New Zealand, even New Zealand, separated from this continent by 1,200 miles of water, will come into the Federation of the Australasian Colonies.”
Geography was not the one consideration for New Zealand. Reporting earlier this yr for an article about adjustments to citizenship rights for New Zealanders dwelling in Australia, I spoke with Paul Hamer, a researcher at Victoria College of Wellington, in regards to the two international locations’ historic relationship and their totally different approaches to race and migration.
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