Pacific Peoples’ Mission Exposes Harsh Realities of Injustice Under French Rule in Kanaky New Caledonia

Media Release

5th November 2025

A new report by the Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia has found that France’s management of the territory continues to undermine Kanak right to self-determination and breach international commitments on decolonisation.

The mission – led by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) and the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia (Église protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie, EPKNC) – was conducted from 10th –19th April 2025 following invitations from customary and church leaders.

Its findings, released today, reveal persistent inequality, systemic discrimination, and political interference under French administration. The report concludes that France’s role in Kanaky’s long-delayed decolonisation process has deepened mistrust and weakened the foundations of self-rule.

“The Pacific Mission in Kanaky New Caledonia is a reminder of our Pasifika connexion with our families across the sea,” said Pastor Billy Wetewea of the EPKNC.

“It shows that we never exist alone but because of others, and that we are all linked to a common destiny. The journey of the Kanak people toward self-determination is a journey shared by every people in our region still striving to define their own future.”

The delegation included Anna Naupa (Vanuatu), Lopeti Senituli (Tonga), Dr David Small (Aotearoa New Zealand), Emele Duituturaga-Jale (Fiji), with secretariat support by PANG and Kanak partrners. The team met with community leaders, churches, women’s groups and youth networks across several provinces to document how the effects of French rule continue to shape Kanaky’s political, economic and social life.

Key findings
The Pacific Peoples’ Mission Report identifies four main areas of concern:

  1. France is not a neutral actor in the transition to independence. The state continues to breach commitments made under the Accords through election delays, political interference and the transfer of Kanak leaders to prisons in mainland France.
  2. Widening socio-economic inequality. Land ownership, employment, and access to public resources remain heavily imbalanced. The 2024 unrest destroyed more than 800 businesses and left 20,000 people unemployed.
  3. A health system in decline. About 20 percent of medical professionals left after the 2024 crisis, leaving rural hospitals and clinics under-resourced and understaffed.
  4. Systemic bias in the justice system. Kanak youth now make up more than 80 percent of the prison population, a reflection of structural discrimination and the criminalisation of dissent.

Kanak writer and activist Roselyne Makalu said the report documents the lived experiences of her people.

“This support is fundamental because, as the Pacific family, we form one single entity united by a common destiny. The publication of this report, which constitutes factual evidence of human-rights violations and the denial of the Kanak people’s right to decide their future, comes at the very moment the French National Assembly has voted, against popular opinion, to postpone the provincial elections. This Parisian decision is nothing short of a blatant new attack on the voice of the Caledonian people, intensifying the political deadlock.”

Tongan law practitioner and former president of the Tonga Law Society, Lopeti Senituli, said the findings confirm a deliberate system of control, adding that “the deep inequalities faced by Kanak people – from land loss and economic marginalisation to mass incarceration – are not accidents of history. They are the direct outcomes of a system designed to keep Kanaky dependent,” he said.

Head of Mission Anna Naupa said France cannot act as both referee and participant in the decolonisation process.

“Its repeated breaches, political interference and disregard for Kanak rights expose a system built to protect colonial interests, not people,” she said. “The mission calls for immediate action — the release of political prisoners, fair provincial elections, and a Pacific-led mediation process to restore trust and place Kanaky firmly on the path to self-determination and justice.”

The mission also confirmed that the May 2024 crisis was an uprising by those most affected by France’s flawed governance and economic model. It described France’s post-crisis policies – including scholarship withdrawals, fare increases, and relocation of public services – as “politics of revenge” that have further harmed Kanak and Oceanian communities.

Recommendations
The mission calls for:
• Free and fair provincial elections under neutral international observation;
• A new round of negotiations to be held to find a new political agreement post Noumea Accord;
• Pacific-led mediation through the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

The report further urges Pacific governments to ensure Kanaky remains on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and to revitalise regional solidarity mechanisms supporting self-determination and justice.

“The world is already in the fourth international decade of decolonisation,” the report concludes. “Self-determination is an inalienable right of colonised peoples. Decolonisation is a universal issue — not a French internal matter.”

The full report, Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia, is available through the Pacific Network on Globalisation.

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