A People’s Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia says the French Pacific territory remains in a fragile political and social transition nearly three decades after the signing of the Nouméa Accord.

It says the pro-independence unrest in May last year has “left visible scars” — not only in a damaged economy but in trust between the territory’s institutions and the communities being served.

The mission is launching its report at a media event in the Fiji capital Suva tomorrow.

• READ MORE: Pacific Peoples’ Mission exposes harsh realities of injustice under French rule in Kanaky New Caledonia
• The full People’s Mission to Kanaky report
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

“France cannot act as both referee and participant in the decolonisation process. Its repeated breaches and political interference have eroded trust and prolonged Kanaky’s dependency,” said mission head Anna Naupa, a Pacific policy and development specialist, in a pre-launch statement.

“The Pacific must now take a principled stand to ensure the right to self-determination is fulfilled.”

The mission — organised by Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), Eglise Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie (EPKNC) and the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) — said regional observers had noted that the situation now hinged on whether France and Pacific leaders could “re-establish credible dialogue” that genuinely included Kanak perspectives in shaping the territory’s future.

Five key findings
According to the report, the Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia had identified five interlinked findings that defined the current crisis:

• Political trust has collapsed. Communities no longer view the decolonisation process as impartial, citing France’s dual role as both administrator and arbiter;
• Reconciliation remains incomplete. Efforts to rebuild unity after the 2024 unrest are fragmented, with limited Kanak participation in recovery planning;
• Youth exclusion is fuelling instability. Young Kanaks describe frustration over limited education, employment, and representation opportunities;
• Economic recovery lacks equity. Reconstruction support has disproportionately benefited urban and non-Kanak areas, widening social divisions; and
• Regional leadership is missing. Pacific solidarity has weakened, leaving communities without consistent regional advocacy or oversight.

Together, said the mission, these findings underlined an urgent need for a renewed, Pacific-led dialogue that would restore confidence in the independence process and focus on  Kanak agency.

A New Zealand academic and activist who was part of the mission, Dr David Small, said: “What we witnessed in Kanaky is not instability; it is resistance born from decades of broken promises.

“The international community must stop treating this as an internal French matter and
recognise it for what it is — an unfinished decolonisation process.”

• The People’s Mission report will be launched at the Talanoa Lounge, Itaukei Trust Fund Board, Nasese, Suva, 3-5pm, Wednesday, November 4. More information.

A Kanak pastor from the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia, attending a Pacific solidarity forum in Aotearoa, says connecting with Pacific activists has given him the chance to feel hope again after months of riots in the French territory.

Reverend Billy Wetewea told RNZ Pacific on the sidelines of Te Hui Oranga o te Moana nui a Kiwa, a conference in Auckland this week, that the indigenous peoples of New Caledonia are fighting for their humanity and dignity.

He said being present in a room filled with Pacific peoples from countries across the region has reminded him that he is not alone.

• READ MORE: Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

“We are descendants of fierce warriors and navigators,” Wetewea said, adding that it “should give us the strength and fire to continue the legacy of those who have walked before us and passed away, for us to carry the fight for our next new generation.

“That is something that I felt strong here in Aotearoa.”

A Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ high-level “strictly observational” mission headed by the Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku arrived in Nouméa yesterday.

The delegation includes Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, along with Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Peter-Shanel Agovaka.

Almost 7000 security personnel with armoured vehicles have been deployed from mainland France to New Caledonia to quell further unrest.

Thirteen people have died since the violence broke out in May, including 11 Kanaks and two French police officers.

One hundred and sixty-nine people have been injured, and more than 2000 people have been arrested in the past five months.

This week, Rabuka said he would be taking a back seat during the mission and cautioned the Kanak leaders to “be very, very reasonable about what they’re asking for” form Paris, adding he told the Kanak independence movement when they started “don’t slap the hand that has fed you”.

“So have a good disassociation arrangement when you become independent, make sure you part as friends,” he added.

Reverend Wetewea said comments like Rabuka’s have led him to question the “neutrality” of the PIF mission.

“I am questioning, not the legitimacy of this visit, but the neutrality of it,” Wetewea said.

He wants to know if the leaders will be fair to what is really happening in his homeland.

Reverend Wetewea said the issue that led to the PIF mission being deferred in August, was around tensions between local government and Paris.

He said New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou reminded Pacific leaders he was the one who had called for the meeting in the first place, and that the PIF was going to New Caledonia at his request as a full member of PIF, which Paris is not.

“I hope that [the programme] will also fairly represent all the people in New Caledonia, especially the community on the ground, the youth and the mothers who are struggling in the community and on the ground,” he said.

When asked if he had hope, Rev Wetewea replied: “We need hope.”

“We are hope because we are still alive and we are still fighting, but our hope is toward a country that will be developed for the wellbeing of everyone in the country,” he said.

“In our discussion with the youth and the community we are involved in, it is not only when we speak about our fight as Kanak people. It is not only for the Kanaks.

“We are fighting for our humanity.”

The Pacific leaders’ three-day mission from October 27-29 is supported by the PIF Secretary-General Baron Waqa and senior officials, with the guidance of the French State and New Caledonia government.

According to the PIF, they will tour Nouméa and visit with stakeholders impacted by the recent unrest, including New Caledonian political parties, youth, and the impacted communities and dialogues with the private, health, and education sectors.

Hu’akavameiliku told RNZ Pacific he was not going to preempt any solutions whatsoever.

New Caledonia government spokesperson Charles Wea told RNZ Pacific leaders would have the chance to hear from all sides involved in the unrest.

A document will then be drafted on their findings, which will be taken to the PIF foreign ministers meeting.

Following that, the findings will be presented to the PIF members in Solomon Islands at next years leaders meeting, where a decision on how the Pacific will engage going forward will be made.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.