.jpg)
Official Guide to the Government Court: N.Z. Centennial Exhibition
External Affairs Department
External Affairs Department
In addition to the 88,999 Moon's of the mainland, New Zealand is responsible for the government of 77,880 Polynesians scattered through 28 islands of the South Pacific.
Our island territories are divided into three groups:—
| (1) | The Mandated Territory of Western Samoa, which lies between latitudes 13 degrees and 14 degrees south, consists of the two main islands, Upolu and Savaii, and seven small islets. The area of the group is approximately 1133 square miles, and the population is 59,306. |
| (2) | The Cook Islands, with a population of 17,383, consist of 16 small islands scattered over a considerable expanse of ocean, stretching from Penrhynpage 41(9 degrees south) to the Mangaia (22 degrees south). The total area of the group is approximately 200 square miles. Rarotonga and Niue are the centres of Government. |
| (3) | The Tokelau, or Union, Islands, with a population of 1191, are three small: atolls situated north of Samoa. |
The Mandated Territory of Western Samoa (formerly German Samoa) is administered pursuant to a mandate conferred upon His Britannic Majesty, to be exercised on his behalf by the Government of the Dominion of New Zealand and confirmed by the Council of the League of Nations on December 17, 1920. An Administrator is appointed from New Zealand.
An important activity in Samoa is the New Zealand Reparation Estates. These estates, which formerly belonged either to German companies or to German nationals, were vested in His Majesty, in right of the Government of New Zealand in accordance with the powers contained in "The Treaty of Versailles" They are an asset of the New Zealand Government as distinct from the Administration of Western-Samoa, and the General Manager is responsible to the Minister of External Affairs.
The Cook Islands were formally annexed to the British Empire and made part of the Dominion of New Zealand in 1900. The administration is vested in a Resident Commissioner, appointed by the New Zealand Government. The island of Niue, although geographically within the Cook Islands, was created a separate administration in 1903.
The Tokelau Islands came under the Jurisdiction of New Zealand in 1926, and are now administered by Samoa for the New Zealand Government, acting on behalf of the Colonial Office; there are no European officials resident in the group.
The Administrator of Western Samoa and the Resident Commissioners, Rarotonga and Niue, are charged with the administration of the executive government of their respective territories, subject to the control of the Minister of External Affairs or the Minister for the Cook Islands, as the case may be. The necessary liaison between the Minister and the various Administrations is the responsibility of the Department of External Affairs and Cook Islands in Wellington. Other functions of this Department are the management of the N.Z.G.M.V. "Maui Pomare," which provides a four-weekly service between New Zealand, Western Samoa and Niue Island, and the control of the orange and banana exports from Samoa, the Cook Islands, and Niue Island.
Full information regarding the tourist attractions and trade and commerce of New Zealand's island territories can be obtained from the Department of External Affairs and Cook Islands.