The new president of New Caledonia, Marie-Noelle Themereau, says her administration's priority is to work towards more social justice.
In an interview with the Nouvelles Caledoniennes newspaper, Mrs Themereau said while the economic indicators for the territory are good, the social situation is getting worse and problems faced by families just won't stop growing.
She says this has led to violence and delinquency that has spread to schools which she says was predicted a few years ago.
Mrs Themereau also says it's urgent to improve the job training of New Caledonians to ensure employment problems can be decreased.
