Saturday, 24 October 2009
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South Pacific Islands Pseudo Sovereignty
The self-governance model in Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands has not worked and the residents have "voted with their feet", Parliament's foreign affairs select committee chairman John Hayes says.
Expressing his personal views in a speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs annual conference this week, Mr Hayes said self governance was "not an effective system".
"Experience has shown that the model has benefited a few political and bureaucratic elite and caused most of the population to emigrate. The core issue is that we need to ensure that incomes and the level of core services in Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau is as good as in New Zealand."
New Zealand faces the same challenge in matching Australia, he said.
The self-governance model created "inefficient, uneconomic and wasteful governance" and communities were "choking on the trappings of pseudo sovereignty".
"The average Fijian is paying the price for their political elites' defiance," Mr Hayes said.
The New Zealand Government must be accountable for the delivery of acceptable standards of services to everyone with New Zealand citizenship, he said.
Harmonising education, health, infrastructure, law and order and justice services between New Zealand, Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands was needed.
Aid should also be redirected to the private sector rather than given to governments, Mr Hayes said.
Niue and the Cooks are self-governing in free association with New Zealand. Tokelau is a New Zealand territory.
Labour Pacific island affairs spokeswoman Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said Mr Hayes was "clearly acting as a stalking horse" for the National Party which wanted to treat some Pacific nation as local government organisations.
New Zealand had a "responsibility to protect the language, culture and lifestyles of these unique micro-states."
Tokelauans and Cook Islanders were New Zealand citizens and deserved the same level and quality of government services as people in New Zealand, Ms Laban said. "New Zealand Aid provides support to Tokelau, but its people do not enjoy the same quality of education, health and public services as other New Zealanders."
Aid money should be spent effectively and efficiently, she said.
NZPA 10-23-09
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