Should New Zealand be the 51st State?

It gave me great happiness to see Reid and Travis standing on a crowded corner in Auckland, New Zealand holding the sign, “New Zealand should be the 51st US State”. The looks they got were priceless.

This used to be fantasy but with the talk about Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Chinese geopolitical ambitions, maybe it’s closer to reality.

I went on the street and talked to people about that very question. My assessment: Kiwis aren't clamoring to trade their silver fern for stars and stripes anytime soon. Despite shared values, New Zealand's fierce independence, unique cultural identity, and divergent social policies create significant barriers. The geographical distance and major time zone difference further complicate integration.

100% of the people I interviewed did not like the idea (to say the least) but equally interesting is that 100% of the people would accept the results of statehood if the vote were fair.

I also like the way Kiwis engage the claim—lightheartedly but seriously. When I asked, “If you knew a fleet of Chinese aircraft carriers were speeding your way, would that change your mind?”, the results were quite interesting.