Skulduggery all part of the election in NZ’s only republic
It’s always a riot, but it’s good fun and for a good cause, writes Catherine Groenestein.
There’s only one pub in New Zealand’s only (unofficial) republic, and the president has no plans to turn it into an isolation facility.
‘‘We would have to lock them in the pub for two weeks, and imagine what that would cost,’’ John Herlihy, who has just been re-elected president of the Republic of Whangamomona and uses the bar as his official office, said.
Instead, thousands of visitors were welcomed across the border from Taranaki yesterday to take part in the biennial republic election, a day when rural-themed entertainment was more of a focus than politics.
This year, the isolated community was promoting its ability to bring international travel to Kiwis corralled at home by closed borders.
Republic committee member Ceri Hutchinson had predicted a huge turnout for the celebrations.
‘‘We are international travel, but there’re no flights required.’’
Whangamomona sits on SH43, 61km from Stratford and 88km from Taumarunui. It has nine permanent residents, a pub and a shop.
Although the celebration and election are full of humour, it’s heartfelt, as the event sprang from a rural revolt in 1989 when the Government of the day changed local government boundaries and the town was told it would be part of the Manawatu¯ Whanganui region, instead of Taranaki.
Neighbouring Stratford District’s first mayor, David Walter (who died in September 2020, aged 80), was credited with starting the revolutionary talk that led to the republic’s establishment.
The idea of the republic developed over a few drinks at the town’s pub, and on November 1, 1989, the very first Republic Day celebration was held.
The republic closes its borders for the day so it can charge visitors $5 each for a passport, complete with stamp.
They don’t worry about foreigners interfering with the elections – everyone is eligible to vote, and there’s plenty of sanctioned election-tampering going on.
Stratford District Mayor Neil Volzke was at the celebrations to officiate at the swearing-in ceremony.
‘‘In 2020 the world had its most controversial election in the United States, but in 2021 the world’s most controversial election is in the republic of Whangamomona,’’ he said.
‘‘There have been accusations of corruption, vote-rigging, double-dipping, and they all seem to be true.’’
Before handing over the presidential chains – made of beer bottletops and pig’s tusks – he asked Herlihy for commitments to shout everyone present a beer, and to plant a tall hedge right around the republic and to have it trimmed every year.
Herlihy, a shearer, spent the day in charge of the sheepshearing demonstrations as well as campaigning.
Ahead of the vote count, he said he was quietly confident about winning a third term despite the competition.
‘‘Things are looking pretty good at the moment, we have been Covid-free, we’ve looked after all the locals out here pretty well,’’ he said.
‘‘But if the vote goes against me, I will demand a recount and I might refuse to leave, though I will not incite a riot.’’
He was also up against a trio of garden gnomes, Wh (Whangamomona), Ta (Tahora) and Ko (Kohuratahi), who contested the election as a team.
His prediction that the gnomes would have difficulty when it came to campaign speeches proved correct in the votecounting.
‘‘They can’t say much for themselves, it would be pretty hard to run a republic if you can’t say anything, and they certainly won’t be going on Twitter.’’
Bryan Ramage, an electrician who bought a house in the town intending to do it up and retire, was sworn in as the republic’s first-ever vice-president.
Ramage said a friend talked him into making his first foray into politics.
‘‘I got a bit railroaded into it,’’ he said. ‘‘But it’s all in good fun, it gets people coming out to Whanga, it’s a good day for us.’’
The tiny town was packed for the occasion. Neighbouring Stratford District had put on buses for residents to travel across the border – the $10 ticket fee included the passport.
Once inside, entertainment included mini-golf, gambling, swimming with eels, dog trials, shearing, woodchopping, whipcracking and sampling country tucker.
The election generally proceeds with a generous dollop of skulduggery. In 2019, Eunice
the sheep, a cockatoo and a teddy bear ran for president, but Eunice’s campaign foundered when she was kidnapped and turned up too late to garner many votes.
Herlihy has lived in the town for more than 25 years.
His predecessor Murt Kennard was knighted in office in 2015, shortly before his death from cancer.
He opted to forgo the conventional title of ‘‘Sir’’, instead choosing the unique CRR, Chief Republic Revolter, to prefix his name.
A goat, Billy Gumboot, was president from 1999 to 2001 and a poodle called Tai ruled from 2003 to 2004, controversially resigning following an assassination attempt.
Behind the frivolity and electoral skulduggery, the gala event raises money for community events and groups.
This year, the emphasis was also on mental wellbeing, Hutchinson said.
Media personality and men’s mental health campaigner Matt Chisholm was the day’s celebrity
guest, taking part in possumskinning, pie-eating and even climbing into a trough awash with wriggling eels.
He attended as a guest of the Rural Support Trust.
‘‘City people should come to places like this, it’s an eye-opener for them,’’ he said. ‘‘I feel at home in places like this, it’s not very PC.’’
Chisholm, who is soon to begin filming a series of Celebrity Treasure Island, joked that Herlihy could be a contender for the reality TV show.
‘‘Johnny would be a great person to take on, he would be really popular with rural New Zealand.’’
Julia Haller and Theo Giacone from France had been waiting in New Plymouth for several days on their trip north, so they could attend.
The pair said they had been in New Zealand for about the past year.
‘‘We are grateful to be here, this is the best country in the world to be in at the moment,’’ Haller said.