Conclusion

One thing is clear: New Zealand's reputation as a friend of the Pacific Islands is increasingly being questioned by Island people, and the hard economic facts reveal that underneath that ‘friendship’ lies the economic subjugation of the Islands in a way not dissimilar to the aggressive political colonialism of the last century to which all but Tonga succumbed. This time, however, there are no exceptions, and the new fight for independence will have to be fought by all Pacific Island peoples both against those who are selling them out and those who are buying them out. Which side are the New Zealand people going to be on?