The Save Aramoana Campaign was formed in 1974 to oppose a proposed aluminium smelter at Aramoana in New Zealand.
In the late 1970s Aramoana was proposed as the site of a major aluminium smelter by a consortium of New Zealand-based Fletcher-Challenge, Australia's CSR Limited and Swiss firm Alusuisse.[1][2][3] An aluminium smelter was already operating at Tiwai Point when the smelter at Aramoana was proposed.
Independent State of Aramoana | |||
Micronation | |||
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Date of foundation | December 23, 1980 | ||
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Language | English | ||
Purported currency | New Zealand Dollar |
The smelter plan called for the destruction of the villages of Aramoana and Te Ngaru, and also threatened a local wildlife reserve. In response to this the residents of the area duly announced their secession from New Zealand on 23 December, 1980, established a "border post" and "travelling embassy", printed passports, citizenship certificates and stamps,[4] and set about using the resultant publicity to build a national grassroots campaign in opposition to the smelter. The campaign attracted the attention of artists such as Ralph Hotere.[5]
The consortium was endorsed by the New Zealand Government,[2] which initially proposed to subsidise the cost of electricity required for the smelter's operation, leading to fears that the wider population of New Zealand would be faced with significant electricity price hikes in the longer term. However, the campaign waged by Aramoana and its supporters eventually forced a government backdown, calling into question the economic viability of the project.
This development combined with declining aluminium prices on world commodity markets, eventually led to the withdrawal of Alusuisse from the consortium in October, 1981.[3] The remaining partners failed to secure additional investment capital, and eventually abandoned the project, paving the way for the peaceful reintegration of the Independent State of Aramoana back into New Zealand. The proposal is still remembered as a divisive issue.
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