United N. Z. Independent Party
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United N.Z. Independence Party (October, 2010-April, 2011) was a centrist, libertarian political that was formally active in New Zealand. The party has gone under various names in its existence and was one of the major parties in NZ’s early years.
History- NZ Union Party
The party first incarnation was known as the New Zealand Union Party (NZUP) and was the principal party of the Provisional Government and the “English-speaking community”. Its first elected party president (PP) was Calbe. It included members like Fionia, Kyle321n, WahooBob, Spud of Doom, Marcos Arolia, deVillefort and Necros Xiaoban. In the October Parliamentary elections it won 16 of 40 seats, second to Aotearoa 19.
In the November Presidential elections, the NZUP nominated Calbe as President and secured the endorsement of Aotearoa. He was subsequently elected with over 80% of the vote and put together a Cabinet that included representatives from all major parties.
Super Sweet 16 Party (SS16P)
As the November PP elections neared, the party split between supporters of Kyle 321n and Necros Xiaoban. Both wanted to be PP and rename the party. Kyle wanted a more “fun direction” and Necros proposed more serious. In what turned out to be a bitter race, Kyle won but by the razor thin margin of 24 to 22.
He quickly renamed the party Super Sweet 16 Party. This caused disunity in the ranks and led Necros to leave. Other members departed too, because of its goofy nature. In the November Parliamentary elections, it collapsed to just 3 out of 40 seats. It was subsequently replaced by the Peace 'n' Prosperity Party (PnPP) as the largest non-Aotearoa party.
In the December Presidential elections, the party endorsed the PnPP’s Fionia as its candidate. This cemented the role reversal between the SS16P and the PnPP.
Kiwi Revolutionary Party (KRP) and NZ Solidarity Union (NZSU)
With Kyle having gone AWOL and the SS16P imploding, a veteran member, Gaius Marcus, was elected PP in December and quickly renamed the party to the KRP in an attempt to reverse its decline. In the December Parliamentary elections, the KRP dropped to 2 out of 40 seats, again emerging behind the PnPP (with 5).
Gaius, supported by his close ally Wahoobob, renamed the KRP to NZSU after the elections in order to promote greater “opposition” unity, also in an attempt to promote itself over the PnPP. However, it remained smaller and in the January Presidential elections, endorsed the PnPP candidate Bedi Vere.
U.N.Z.I.P
In January Gaius stood down as PP in order to run the Kiwi Social Democrats elections. Veteran member Wahoobob was subsequently elected PP. He proceeded to rename the NZUP to the UNZIP, in a new effort to halt the party’s decline.
However, the damage had already been done and seeing the party had little future, Wahoobob agreed to work with the PnPP to launch a new “opposition” party to Aotearoa. This involved the large majority of UNZIP members leaving and joining the PnPP. However, the “Otago-Tasmanian” and “Indo-Kiwi” land swap ruined these plans and reduced both party’s membership.
By this time UNZIP, had less than 8 members and was not a top-five party. It did not run any candidates in either the January or February Parliamentary elections. Instead, it simply endorsed the PnPP, where the vast majority of its members were already settled.
Its final major political act came in February, when the UNZIP accidentally nominated Wahoobob for President, instead of WelshLad (who was backed up by the PnPP and the Kiwi Independent Party). An article was sent out to correct this and he captured less than 2%.
Final Days
Following these elections Wahoobob retired from the game, indicating he saw no more enjoyment playing. UNZIP subsequently languished as a minor party until Whahoobob's account died and then the party formally dissolved.
Legacy
The history of UNZIP and its various incarnations is a history of “lost opportunities” and bitter splits. The party, which was once the largest non-Aotearoa party simply fell apart and was subsequently replaced by the PnPP. Its most lasting legacy to NZ is having provided the first President in the nation’s history.
Party Presidents
| Month | Party President | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| October 2010 | Calbe | 1st Prime Minister of New Zealand |
| November 2010 | Kyle321n | Renamed party to "SS16P" |
| December 2010 | Gaius Marcus | Renamed party to "KRP" and the "NZSU" |
| January, February, March, and April 2011 | WahooBob | Renamed party to UNZIP and served 4x as PP. |
