 | Relationship between New Zealand and Australia: Encyclopedia II - Relationship between New Zealand and Australia - Relationships
Relationship between New Zealand and Australia - Relationships
Relationship between New Zealand and Australia - Intra Migration
Many New Zealanders have migrated to Australia, particularly to Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Unlike citizens of other countries, New Zealand passport holders are issued with ‘special category’ visas on arrival in Australia, which allow them to live and work there. Although officially reciprocal, the traffic is essentially in one direction only; few Australians choose to live and work in New Zealand. A notable exception is Progressive Party politician Matt Robson, whose family moved to New Zealand from Brisbane.
Consequently, ‘Kiwis’ in Australia are accused of taking local jobs or living on Australian social welfare benefits, although since 2001, New Zealanders must now wait two years before they are eligible for such payments. However, there are complaints in New Zealand that Australia is poaching the country's best and brightest, with police forces, schools and hospitals in Australia headhunting or recruiting aggressively across the Tasman.
Many only realise how much the two nationalities have in common when they go to Europe to work and travel, although some New Zealanders are almost horrified at the idea that they have anything in common with Australians. When groups of young Kiwis and Aussies congregate together in European camping grounds, etc, it can be difficult to say which are which.
Unlike Canadians and Americans, who share a land border that they can cross without passports, the geographical separation between New Zealand and Australia means that many have never visited the other's country. Many of them are more likely to have visited Europe, and this is especially true of Australians. When the Australian actress Cate Blanchett told US talkshow host David Letterman that her time on location in New Zealand filming The Lord of the Rings was her first visit to the country, he was genuinely surprised, while she was equally puzzled by his reaction.
Relationship between New Zealand and Australia - Trading Links
New Zealand’s economic ties with Australia are strong, especially since the demise of Britain as a trading partner following its decision to join the then European Economic Community in 1973, and in the 1980s, the two countries concluded the Closer Economic Relations agreement, allowing each country access to the others markets.
Relationship between New Zealand and Australia - Political Union
Indeed the 1901 Australian Constitution included provisions to allow New Zealand to join Australia as its seventh state, even after the government of New Zealand had already decided against such a move. Section 6 of the Preamble declares that:
‘The States’ shall mean such of the colonies of New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, including the northern territory of South Australia, as for the time being are parts of the Commonwealth, and such colonies or territories as may be admitted into or established by the Commonwealth as States; and each of such parts of the Commonwealth shall be called ‘a State’.
One of the reasons that New Zealand chose not to join Australia was due to perceptions that the indigenous Maori population would suffer as a result. Federation age Australia had a strict White Australia policy and indigenous Aboriginal peoples were not granted citizenship and the vote until 1967. By comparison New Zealand Maori had full citizenship, and universal suffrage since 1893.
From time to time the idea of joining Australia has been mooted, but opinion polls show New Zealanders overwhelmingly against. Even New Zealanders resident in Australia have been unenthusiastic, while for its part, the Australian government has expressed little interest.
While there is no prospect of political union now, there is still a great deal of similarity between the two cultures, with the differences often only obvious to Australians and New Zealanders themselves.
Relationship between New Zealand and Australia - Relationships with the United Kingdom
Like Australians, New Zealanders have a 'love-hate' relationship with the UK, although anti-English sentiment is not as strong, and republicanism is not yet as emotive an issue as it is in Australia. While the UK, especially London, is the first port of call on the 'OE' or 'Overseas Experience' for most young Kiwis, they can often be dismissive of the so-called 'Mother Country', deriding ‘Poms’ as snobbish, inflexible, and backward-looking. New Zealanders felt badly about the UK's entry into the Common Market in 1973, which deprived them of their main trading partner, and often feel affronted at being treated as 'Others' by British immigration at Heathrow.
Other related archives1901, 1973, 1980s, 2001, ANZAC, ANZUS, Aboriginal, Air New Zealand, Ansett Airlines, Articles lacking sources, Australasian, Australia, Australian Constitution, Brisbane, Britain, Canada, Cate Blanchett, Commonwealth of Australia, Corruption Perception Index, David Letterman, Eureka Stockade, European Economic Community, Foreign relations of Australia, Foreign relations of New Zealand, Heathrow, Ireland, London, Maori, Matt Robson, Mike Moore, New South Wales, New Zealand, Pacific, Perth, Poms, Preamble, Progressive Party, Queensland, Reporters without Borders, Republican, South Australia, Sydney, Tasmania, The Lord of the Rings, The States, Treaty of Waitangi, UK, United States, Victoria, Western Australia, cricketer, equality, federated, freeloader, indigenous, migration, northern territory, property, relationship, republicanism, similarities between Canada and New Zealand, trade, underarm delivery, vote
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Relationships", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
