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"The Pacific way is coneerned that 'nobody gets left out ' which is another
way of saying that the Pacific way cares abou! lhe individual. And if nobody ie
left out, this nreans that everybody is in - which is what democracy is all abouL"
The definition is not about folklore, it is about the perennial struggle to lend a hurnan
face to the political process.
Tfre "Pacific Way" undoubtedly did a great deal to capitalize on these feelings of
solidarity through the new Pacific. It was a privilege to work closely with those statesment
euch as Ratu Mara, who had grasped the idea of a rnoment in history and related it to the
day-to-day management of regional issues. For sheer persistence, me could not go beyond the
outstanding Pacific leader whose contribution to regional diplomacy wes overshadowed by the
more sensational aspects of his domestic political career. I refer to the late Sir Albert Henry.
When the historians work over the record of the 1970s, I would expect some of his speeches
to be singled out as the encapsulation of Lhe direction in which the Pacific was moving.
It is good to see Matre Tupouniua taking his experience back to the Bureau a it begins
its second decade, and I would like to acknowledge help provided by SPEC in the preparation
of this peper.
The Pacific Context
For the sake of geographical precision, New Zealand is included in the "Prcific Island
Context". Like Papua New Guinea it occupies some of the largest islands, but the fact
remains that it shares the island situation. Indeed, traditional Weslern concepts of national
development can be enriched by the mutalions whieh are emerging in various models of
development adopted around the Pacif ic. New Zealand, which in one sense has been a
generous contributor to this process, now has the opportunity to see which sspects could lend
breadth to its own view of development, which slill tends Lo be two-dimensional.
The political changes of the last decade have resulted in a qreater tendency to look at
development in the Pacific not just in terms of lhe Forum mernbers, or even South Pacific
Commission members, but in a wider pan-Pacific perspective. This has meant that the Pacific
Islands ane seen more and more in nelation to the Pacific Basin, the Pacific Rim, or whaLeven
Lerm might be current to describe the setting of our hemisphere. Geographical precision is
not of concern; what is important is the fact that this is the area of lhe world which is
generally seen as enjoying more favourable economic prospects than elsewhere.
Moves towards a Pacific Canmunity are expected to increase, and a more formal
grouping may emenge before the end of the century. Looking at the characteristics of the
region, and the range of countries which might be included, iL is useful to point out that the
North/South problem does look soluble in the Pacific region. There are certainly a nr.rmber of
options available if the coun[ries of the rim decide to join wilh the oceanic states [o find
joint solutions. This is in stark contrast with the dimension of the North/South issue
elsewhere, where mounting evidence shows that the range of development options and
regional solutions is narnow, and that the basis f or political accommodation is of ten
non-existent.
The political economy of the Pacific on the other hand does hold out some prospect
that states with sironger economies will see zufficient joint interes[ in strateqic termsr to
accept the relatively low "insurance premium" which wi ll maintain the development of weaker
island economies. The collective purpose would be to exclude mischievous involvement by
others, and achieve a consolidation of regional solidarity in the Island group (which hss
already suffened continuing division, particularly in the aftermath of colonialism). Models for
the "insurance premium" can be seen in some of the posl-colonial bountyr including that
offered by New Zealand to the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. The guestion that remains is,
to what degree can these separate premiums be [ranslated into a regional policy.
One of the prerequisites, if this is to happen, will be the maintenance by the Island
states of their own commitment to regional co-operation. Progress over the last ten years has
been steady, but it has lurched at times. Mmt of those involved in the effort io build
regional cohesion would agree that much rnore dramatic nesult.s could have been achieved if
on occasions the perception of individual interest (and the whims of some of the Island
leaders) had given way to the nrore difficult but more enduring regional solution.