New Caledonia

The two faces crucial to New Caledonia’s final referendum
The two faces crucial to New Caledonia’s final referendum
Barely 12 months from now, New Caledonia will face an independence referendum. This will bring to an end the Matignon and Noumea Accords, which delivered 30 years of peace…
Pacific island links: Manus closure, Evara's death, caretaker mode in New Caledonia and more
Pacific island links: Manus closure, Evara's death, caretaker mode in New Caledonia and more
By Euan Moyle, an intern in the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands Program. With the Manus Island Detention Centre set to close at the end of the month, hundreds of remaining…
French parliamentary vote mainly good news for New Caledonia
French parliamentary vote mainly good news for New Caledonia
The results of the French legislative elections are both good and bad news for New Caledonia but it's mainly good. While uncertainties remain at the national level, locally the…
French Presidential election: Implications for Australia’s closest French neighbour
French Presidential election: Implications for Australia’s closest French neighbour
Macron’s election to the Presidency creates increased uncertainty in the French Pacific territories, with developments on the eve of the vote potentially undermining stability in…
France’s Pacific territories are watching the election too
France’s Pacific territories are watching the election too
The results of the first round of the French presidential elections create new uncertainties for the French Pacific, particularly for Australia’s close neighbour New…
New Caledonia: French election calendar stymies progress
New Caledonia: French election calendar stymies progress
A recent visit to New Caledonia highlighted the complexities and risks of realpolitik in this French Pacific territory, where France's national election cycle has…
New Caledonia prepares for the future: two steps forward, one step back
New Caledonia prepares for the future: two steps forward, one step back
French and New Caledonian leaders have achieved some important steps in preparing for the 2018 ‘final’ referendum process, the last stage of the 1988 Matignon and 1998 Noumea…
New Caledonia: Slow progress on defining its future
The latest meeting of those charged with steering New Caledonia into its next stage of governance went some small way to resolving sensitive political issues but also demonstrated…
New Caledonia census raises thorny political questions
The 2014 census results for New Caledonia have been published, showing changes in the ethnic composition of a growing population. These changes are central to the political…
Trouble in New Caledonia over links with China
Nickel mine at Thio, Southern Province, New Caledonia Photo: DeAgostini/Getty Images In August the economy of the nickel-rich French territory of New Caledonia ground to a halt…