Southern Pacific

The thousands of islands and one continent in the Pacific to the south of the equator are controlled by the British Commonwealth, France and the United States.

**New Zealand** and **Australia** are parliamentary democracies, effectively independent states in free association with the British Commonwealth; they also own various colonial holdings in the Southern Pacific.

**New Zealand** was governed by a Labour government from 1935 to 1947. At the time of the 1936 events in the Rhineland and the subsequent coup in Germany, the government in Wellington was consulted by the government of the United Kingdom, as usual, to help steer British Commonwealth policy in Europe. The New Zealand government responded: 'The German government’s attempt to occupy the Rhineland, while technically a breach of the terms of the Versailles Treaty, was a peaceful movement of troops aimed merely at protecting into its own national territory from a formidably armed France. French willingness to pursue military adventurism is not welcomed by New Zealand. The new German government formed after the events in the Rhineland, while hardly a result of democratic processes, poses no obvious threat to the Commonwealth. New Zealand government considers Germany, no matter its internal politics, to have legitimate concerns about the justice of the Versailles Treaty. We favour Commonwealth discussions with the governments of Germany and France about a timely revision of Versailles. Additionally, we favour Commonwealth discussions with the governments of both nations about the readmission of Germany to the League of Nations.' This statement of opinion remains more or less the position of the New Zealand Labour Party with regard to Europe to the present day. Japan and China, together with the colonial empires in Asia and the Pacific, are seen to be more pressing issues for New Zealand. Labour is concerned to promote a 'free China' of some sort over most of the former Qing Empire, strongly speaks up about full independence and democracy for India, and takes a clear position in support of what it calls 'full decolonisation,' by which it means independence and democracy everywhere in colonial empires, everywhere in Asia and the Pacific. Labour has a timetable for full decolonisation of New Zealand's own small imperium in Tokelau, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue and Nauru. At the same time, Labour opposes brinkmanship between Japan and the United States in the Pacific and East Asia. Above all, Labour calls for a greatly strengthened League of Nations, including the abolition of the Security Council and the establishment of a League military.

The National Party formed a government in New Zealand in 1947 and retained power till the return of Labour in 1956. After the usual three terms, Labour was followed in 1962 by another National government in 1962. National was reelected in 1965, and again in 1968. National Party foreign policy is broadly similar to Labour policy, but with less stress on Asia and the Pacific, together with more stress on Europe, North America and the Atlantic. National backs the League strongly, though not quite so strongly as Labour. At the same time, National rates more than Labour any and all links with the sister British Commonwealth 'White Dominions': Australia, South Africa, and Canada. National governments in New Zealand agree with Labour that Germany has legitimate concerns about the justice of the Versailles Treaty. National is not very interested, unlike Labour, in any notion of a 'free China' in the territories of the former Qing Empire, and is keen on good working relationships with Japan because of the size of its market and its track record as a good, trustworthy trade partner. Nor is National as interested as Labour in 'full decolonisation,' believing instead that systems of guided democracy, protectorates, and perhaps the widening of the League of Nations mandate system to cover more colonial possessions, are more suitable for most of the colonised peoples since they 'lack the education, at present,' to be able to manage independence and democracy. National accepts the timeline that the 1935-1947 Labour government established for decolonisation of New Zealand's own imperium. National agrees with Labour that the League of Nations needs to be strengthened, but not to the extent of establishing a League military.

**Australia**, like New Zealand, has thriven as a parliamentary democracy in which control of government has been swapped backwards and forwards between Labour and conservative governments. At the time of the 1936 events in the Rhineland and the subsequent coup in Germany, the Australian federal government was in the hands of the United Australia Party, a fusion of rightist Labor politicians with the moderately conservative Nationalist Party. UAP advice to the British government during the European crisis was similar to the New Zealand government's advice. Australia, however, was not willing to consider the return to Germany of its former colonies of Nauru and German New Guinea. The Australian government regarded the phosphates of Nauru as too important. Also, it viewed its New Guinea mandate as a buffer against uncertainty in East Asia.

The Australian Labor Party took over the reins of the federal government in 1940 and governed until 1949. Its foreign policy was focused mostly on Japan, China and the colonial empires in Asia and the Pacific and was very similar to the policy of the New Zealand government.

A conservative coalition led by the Australian Liberal Party returned to power in 1949; it continues to this day to hold the reins of federal government. The Liberals and their junior partners the Country Party are strongly committed to a close relationship with the British Commonwealth, especially the 'White Dominions,' and to the United States. The bond with the Commonwealth is economic, military and emotional. The bond with the United States is primarily pragmatic: the United States is the only significant naval rival to Japan in the Pacific. At the same time, like the New Zealand National Party, the Australian Liberal Party wants good trade relations with Japan. The Australian federal government in 1970 is fairly strongly committed to the League of Nations, but more strongly to its 'friends and allies' of the English-speaking world.

**Papua New Guine**a is divided into two separate states, one controlled by Australia and one by the Netherlands. Australia in 1953 combined its mandated former German colony with its own colony to create the **Territory of Papua New Guinea**. The whole Territory is now under mandate to the League of Nations. A Legislative Council of elected and nominated members under an Australian Administrator has authority over most internal matters in the Territory. Military and foreign policy are controlled by Canberra. Australia proposes to give full independence and democracy to the Territory 'when the population has reached a suitably high level of development.' **Netherlands New Guinea** is part of the Netherlands East Indies; the Dutch colonial government, however, recognises that West Papua is not naturally or culturally akin to the rest of the Netherlands East Indies and has begun to prepare it for independence and democracy in its own right - but, as in Australian PNG, only when the population is 'ready.'

**Nauru** is a League of Nations mandate controlled jointly by New Zealand, Australia and Britain.

**New Hebrides** is

**New Caledonia** is

**Fiji** is

**Samoa** is a mandated colony, under the 'protection' of New Zealand but with a strong independence movement. The government of New Zealand has promised the mandate full independence by 1980.

**American Samoa** is

**Tonga** is

**Cook Islands** and **Niue** are

**French Polynesia** is

**Rapanui (Easter Island)** is