Whangamomona is a small township in the Stratford District

Stratford, New Zealand

Stratford is the only town in the central Taranaki district of Stratford District, New Zealand. It lies beneath the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki/Egmont, approximately half-way between New Plymouth and Hawera, near the geographic centre of the Taranaki region. The town has a population of...

 and Manawatu-Wanganui Region in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It lies on State Highway 43, the Lost World Highway

New Zealand State Highway network

The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...

 65 kilometres (40.4 mi) north-east of Stratford and 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) south-west of Ohura

Ohura

Ohura is a small town in the west of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the west of Taumarunui in the area known as the King Country, in inland Manawatu-Wanganui...

. By rail it is 61 kilometres (37.9 mi) from Stratford on the Stratford-Okahukura railway line.

History

The first settlers arrived in 1895 with the town proper established some 2 years later. Growth of the town was seriously affected by the loss of 51 men (including the smaller nearby settlements of Kohuratahi and Tahora) in the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and a major flood in 1924. The town recovered with arrival of the railway line in 1933 and electrification in 1959. However the town went into decline again and the school closed in 1979, the post office 9 years later.

Republic Day

In 1989 regional council boundaries were redrawn, with an emphasis on connected catchments

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

. These revised maps made Whangamomona part of the Manawatu-Wanganui

Manawatu-Wanganui

Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.-Administration:...

 Region. Residents objected, as they wanted to continue being part of the Taranaki Region, and on 1 November 1989, they responded by declaring themselves the "Republic of Whangamomona" at the first Republic Day. Though the move began as a pointed protest, the town continued to hold a celebratory Republic Day once a year, during which a vote for President was held. The day has become a local festival day, and attracts visitors from throughout the North Island. In 2001, the celebration became biannual, held in January to take advantage of the summer weather.

Presidents

Ian Kjestrup (1989-1999)

After being put on the ballot without his knowledge, he became the first elected President. Served 10 years

Billy Gumboot the Goat (1999-2001)

First elected animal. He won election by eating the other challengers ballots. He died in office after serving for 18 months.

Tai the Poodle (2003-2004)

Tai retired after an assassination attempt left him a nervous wreck.

Murt "Murtle the Turtle" Kennard (2005-present)

The local garage owner fought off strong competition from former president Kjestrup and a cross-dresser called "Miriam" to become the 4th President. He was re-elected in 2009 by one vote. He was re-elected again in 2011 by a landslide.