US ownership of New Zealand
- Thread starter Grimbald
- Start date
Jessicajess
Banned
The US barely had a Pacific presence by the time New Zealand was being settled. But yeah, I believe there's a window of time. Maybe the US could get French and Russian support for its claim?
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Have a strong German wank in WW2 where somehow, someway, Operation Sea Lion succeeds. The Japanese swoop in and take NZ from the hands of the government-in-exile in Canada. America liberates the islands and doesn't hand them over to the Canadians, instead keeping them under military occupation.
Jessicajess
Banned
The Japanese would find very difficult to conquer New Zealand, and they barely have any reason to conquer it at all. New Zealand didn't had any natural resources worth noticing.
Not happening
NZ is one of the hardest to invade countries on the planet. Especially if it was during the NZ Land wars. First you would have to get through these dudes:
.
Than These dudes:
Plus it's just to darn far away!
I hate to be a spoiler of all things ALternate history, but I don't realistically See this happenin!
NZ is one of the hardest to invade countries on the planet. Especially if it was during the NZ Land wars. First you would have to get through these dudes:
.
Than These dudes:
Plus it's just to darn far away!
I hate to be a spoiler of all things ALternate history, but I don't realistically See this happenin!
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American whalers used what is now New Zealand a lot as a naval port prior to Britain's annexation of the islands.
Perhaps an earlier Guano Islands Act can get the whalers to claim the South Island for the USA. The problem is getting anyone in Washington to care, as this annexation would need to take place prior to the Civil War, and there are too many issues at home.
Perhaps an earlier Guano Islands Act can get the whalers to claim the South Island for the USA. The problem is getting anyone in Washington to care, as this annexation would need to take place prior to the Civil War, and there are too many issues at home.
No so much US ownership as having at least one of the two islands have predominantly American settlement among its Pākehā community. As the poster above me mentioned, whalers did use NZ as a base, so that could be used as one possible opening. Either in conjunction with or as an alternate for that, the ABCFM's Sandwich Islands Mission (to Hawai‘i) could see expanding it to NZ as an extension of the mission, giving NZ a missionary community predominantly of New England origin. This basically envisions a split of NZ with British settlement primarily focused on the South Island and the ABCFM missionaries on the North Island. If NZ led to a conflict between the US and the UK, then most likely the UK would have the upper hand, so having the US take NZ as a territory would be very difficult if not impossible - NZ is not Hawai‘i, after all.
One of my best friend's paternal ancestor, from whence her father's Maori family obtained her surname, was an American whaler.
However claiming the islands is a much harder goal. I could certainly see someone trying but they'd need to do it before1840 if they wanted to avoid a proper British claim. I would also think the British would be pretty annoyed as NZ was in the economic hinterland of NSW/Victoria at the time.
The fact that the UK, despite being the closest power with a large presence nearby, only sought to gain sovereignty in 1840 after half a century of being in the neighbourhood and then actual settlement/settler government not starting for another decade or so, speaks volumes about the desirability of the place to far off powers.
However claiming the islands is a much harder goal. I could certainly see someone trying but they'd need to do it before1840 if they wanted to avoid a proper British claim. I would also think the British would be pretty annoyed as NZ was in the economic hinterland of NSW/Victoria at the time.
The fact that the UK, despite being the closest power with a large presence nearby, only sought to gain sovereignty in 1840 after half a century of being in the neighbourhood and then actual settlement/settler government not starting for another decade or so, speaks volumes about the desirability of the place to far off powers.