South Pacific regionalism : the development of an indigenous commitment

The South Pacific region has been recently undergoing the most rapid and fundamental political change it has experienced since its partition by the colonial powers in the nineteenth century. Beginning in 1962, with the granting of independence to Western Samoa, the decolonisation of the region has proceeded swiftly, if selectively. By 1979 ten British, New Zealand and Australian territories had achieved either independence or self-government; the only remaining dependent territories of any significance were those of France and the United States. The impact of this political change has not only been felt at the national level; it has also had important repercussions at the regional level. These regional developments form the subject of this thesis