"Your Highness, I think the problem with New Zealand cannot be solved in a short period of time, and the solution also depends on your view of New Zealand," Prime Minister Evan spoke up, bracing himself.
"Hmm? Please elaborate, Prime Minister Evan!" Arthur smiled and said.
Arthur was also troubled by the problem with New Zealand, so brainstorming was a good way to go. At least the prime ministers of the major colonies were familiar with the situation in New Zealand, and their opinions might be useful to Arthur.
"Your Highness, for the policy towards New Zealand, it actually depends on your thoughts," Prime Minister Evan saw that Arthur was interested instead of objecting, so he continued, "If you see New Zealand as a colony like Papua New Guinea and think that New Zealand is not within our future core area of influence, then I think we should suppress New Zealand's independence movement. At least during your reign, New Zealand should not become independent, or even take any actions towards independence."
"But if you want to completely integrate New Zealand, merge it with Australia and establish a new country, then I think you should fully respect the will of the New Zealand people, and even at the appropriate time, promote New Zealand's independence, allowing New Zealand to join Australia's big family as an independent country," Prime Minister Evan explained, "In my opinion, whether it's Australia or New Zealand, their desire for independence is unstoppable. Even if the independence movement in New Zealand may be suppressed in the short term due to the policies and means of the ruling party, such a situation cannot last for too long. It could be as short as ten years or as long as several decades, but New Zealand will definitely have a much stronger independence movement than now. Therefore, I think before we establish a management policy towards New Zealand, we should clarify its position in Australia in the future. If we want to completely control New Zealand, then we should consider it as an independent country, rather than our colony."
In the end, the status of New Zealand is already the same as Australia, both seeking to transition from a colony to an independent country.
Even though New Zealand lags far behind Australia in terms of land area and population, the will of the people cannot be ignored.
"Well said, Prime Minister Evan," Arthur nodded in approval and praised Prime Minister Evan.
"New Zealand is the third largest region in Oceania and a natural barrier for Australia's east coast. I believe that New Zealand is an inseparable part of Australia's future influence, and we should value and respect the interests of New Zealand and New Zealanders. I think it is very likely that Australia and New Zealand will establish a close united country, whether in the form of a federation or a confederation, or a united and unified country. In any case, New Zealand is very important for us, for Australia, and is an important territory that we cannot lose. During the entire management of New Zealand, we should have a silent and supportive attitude towards New Zealand's independence, as long as New Zealand is willing to unite with Australia and establish a new country, whether New Zealand is independent or not is not important for Australia."
Arthur smiled and said that New Zealand's important geographical location determines that Australia cannot give up New Zealand.
In Arthur's view, as long as New Zealanders are willing to establish a new country with Australia, whether New Zealand is independent or not is irrelevant.
"Your Highness, should we also implement our policies in New Zealand? I'm afraid that if we build up New Zealand and they turn around and declare independence, it would be terrible," Finance Minister Roger Joseph Albert quickly asked.
Although Australia's finances have been consumed in various ways, it still has nearly 90 million pounds in funds. But don't forget, even this money was borrowed from Arthur, and coupled with the batch of equipment worth 50 million pounds, the Australian government owes the royal family 150 million pounds.
Although this money is interest-free loans, the feeling of owing money is definitely not good, which also makes Finance Minister Roger Joseph Albert carefully budget every penny spent, while also trying to save money as much as possible while meeting the needs of national development, which is very difficult.
"We don't need to do that, Your Highness. If we now promote all of Australia's policies to New Zealand, it may lead to the people of New Zealand being ecstatic in the short term. But what about after that? Do we have any means to keep these New Zealanders? Once these people are dissatisfied and want new welfare policies, what should we do? Don't forget, our support base is in Australia, and we must control New Zealand on the premise of controlling Australia," Prime Minister Evan stood up and reminded, "Your Highness, I think what New Zealand needs now is stability, not change. We only need to maintain all the policies of New Zealand during the British period, and when the tide of New Zealand's independence cannot be stopped, our policies will also be our conditions for attracting New Zealanders."
"Well, Prime Minister Evan makes a lot of sense," Arthur nodded. "Our core support has always been in Australia, and we should prioritize respecting the opinions of Australians. As long as New Zealand remains stable, we can implement the policies we have in Australia and offer the same favorable conditions in New Zealand when they seek independence. As long as they are willing to continue accepting Australia's rule, then Australia doesn't mind treating New Zealand as part of itself."
Roger Joseph Ebert breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Arthur's words. If Australia's policies were to be implemented in New Zealand simultaneously, it would cost at least several million, or even tens of millions of pounds. For Australia, which is in urgent need of development funds, such savings are naturally essential.
"But at the same time, it is also necessary to properly attract and approach New Zealand. Minister Andrew, I will entrust these tasks to you. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be responsible for approaching New Zealand and striving to sign a series of treaties with them, to narrow the distance between Australia and New Zealand in all aspects. In these areas, we should give New Zealand the respect they deserve, and the treaties should be fair and just for both parties, to satisfy all New Zealanders," Arthur instructed.
Given the premise that major policies remain unchanged, signing a series of trade and other treaties with New Zealand in advance, and narrowing the distance between Australia and New Zealand, could be beneficial for any possible future merger between the two countries.