7 Mar 2013

Disappointment in Tahiti at NZ's decolonisation stance

6:37 pm on 7 March 2013

French Polynesia's ruling pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira Party says it is disappointed that Australia and New Zealand refuse to endorse its bid to reinscribe the territory on the UN decolonisation list.

The territory's president, Oscar Temaru, says it should be any day now that the bid will go before the UN General Assembly amid suggestions that a majority at the UN will back the resolution.

In 1947, France removed the territory from the list without consulting the population but today the opposition in Tahiti is incensed, saying there has been no vote in the territory in favour of relisting.

New Zealand has said the issue is a French affair, but a Tavini spokesperson, Tea Hirshon, says Wellington is inconsistent.

"We are surely disappointed by Australia and New Zealand. It's not that they don't seem to give us support, they don't give us support and what we don't understand is they've done it for New Caledonia, very actively."

Tea Hirshon of the Tavini Huiraatira Party