A New Zealand Town Declared Independence and Elected a Goat as President

On November 1, 1989, the residents of Whangamomona, a tiny settlement in New Zealand's Taranaki region, had a problem with bureaucracy. A government boundary reform had reassigned their town from the Taranaki regional council to the Manawatu-Whanganui region, a body headquartered four hours away.

The residents' response was proportionate: they declared independence.

The Republic of Whangamomona

The Republic of Whangamomona came with all the trappings of a nation state, if that nation state happened to revolve around a pub. They created their own passports, which visitors can purchase and get stamped at the bar of the Whangamomona Hotel. They hold Republic Day celebrations every two years, featuring sheep races and gumboot throwing competitions.

The first president was a human named Ian Kjestrup, who served from 1989 to 1999. But it was the second president who put Whangamomona on the map.

Billy Gumboot

In 1999, the republic elected a goat. His name was Billy Gumboot, and locals say he won the election by eating the other candidates' ballot papers. Whether this constitutes electoral fraud or merely decisive campaigning has been a matter of scholarly debate at the Whangamomona Hotel ever since.

Billy Gumboot served as president for approximately 18 months before dying in office. The cause of death was not political intrigue but simply the natural lifespan of a goat in a position of leadership.

The Succession

The republic did not descend into chaos. They elected a poodle named Tai, who served from 2003 to 2004. After Tai, leadership returned to humans for a time, though subsequent elections have featured candidates from across the animal kingdom.

The New Zealand government has never formally recognized the republic. The passports are not valid for international travel. But they are valid at the bar, and in Whangamomona, that's the border that matters.