South Island Self-determination

The South Island is sick of being flogged by the North Island, essentially paying for its excesses and complete incompetence.

Here are a few lowlights in the North Island:

• There is still no Auckland harbour crossing established since the Nippon clip-ons were added to the Auckland Harbour bridge in 1969. If we compare with other harbours such as San Francisco, there is almost always more than one crossing whether underground or bridge.
• Wellington, a city which is fully funded by the taxpayer, has streets which permanently leak. Wellington isn't the windy city, it is the leaky city. They cannot even fix leaks.
• The Cook Strait ferry service from the North Island to the South Island is now in danger of failing, there have been numerous near miss events which could see serious loss of life. These incidents involve ships losing power and drifting in heavy seas, or ships actually hitting things and going aground.
• The government had a DEI Navy hire lose an expensive hydrographic survey vessel after hitting a reef. This was the worst loss of a NZ Navy vessel since the Second World War.
• There is now no rail link to Gisborne
• There is still no swift transport link from Auckland to the airport.
• Crime is out of control in the North Island and gangs effectively control some towns.
• Air NZ is a basket case and requires constant rescue.
• Ports of Auckland still operate from the middle of Auckland, instead of moving to Whangarei, and no effective rail link exists to Whangarei anyway.
• NZ's only oil refinery closed down.

Meanwhile, the South Island is a model of efficiency by contrast. I estimate that if the South Island was separate, it wouldn't even need fulltime senators to run the place. They would only need to meet for a month a year to pass legislation into law. That meeting could be moved around the Island.

Whether this entity becomes a fully independent country separate from New Zealand, is subject to agreement. I have already said I support a fully separate country in confederation with New Zealand. However, if a state alone, and subject to federal law as in Australia; then it must mean the South Island shares power. This prevents certain interests being sidelined, as with Western Australia. Power sharing could take the form of at least a minimum of one South Islander being either prime minister, deputy prime minister or minister of finance. This person could be the Premier of the state, together with any other senator. Of course, given the South Island is more competent, every top office could be held, it's just a minimum of one must be Southern. These representatives would be elected from the South Island, and the North would have no say in their election to office. The offices could be rotated; thus, the South Island appoints the prime minister from its state three years out of nine. This would prevent incompetence from becoming ingrained as it is now. 

Governance could see the state take over all territorial authorities. Local councils would become advisory bodies only, and mayors would be ceremonial. Residential property could be free of rates, with only commercial and industrial property paying rates. 

As a separate state it could remove personal and corporate income taxes. Instead, sales taxes could be used, along with royalties collected from minerals extraction, road user charges, and excise taxes on gambling, alcohol and such. There could also be bed taxes and traveller arrival charges, as well as limited property taxes (see the rates burden above). Thus, the taxation office would be small.

The main sources of export income for the South Island would include the sale of electricity to the North Island, as well as the export of agricultural and mineral products such as from the aluminium smelter at Bluff. There is far more than that to the South Island of course, but these would be the big earners.

But things wouldn't stand still; corporate investment could be encouraged by not directly taxing income, thus effecting more minerals processing, and agricultural processing becomes viable. Just think, no corporate income tax on lumber mills, milk powder production etc. The South Island could fully develop its hydroelectricity potential, and export more of it to the North Island. 

I had another idea too: how about one free acre to every Australian who moves to the South Island permanently and who starts a business. If they leave the South Island within five years, they forfeit the land.

Had an added idea, similar to the above. If you're a property developer and build a subdivision, the state will supply the land, the developer builds the houses, then when sold the value of the developed land comes back to the state. This alone would probably be one of the biggest earners. The South Island would be in charge of immigration, only skilled people need apply, and they'd be offered a new house to live in, finance guaranteed. Watch the population double in no time.

As a completely separate entity, the South Island would no longer prop up the North Island.