A new report from the Pacific Peoples’ Mission to Kanaky New Caledonia paints a stark picture of systemic inequality, political manipulation, and the unrelenting spirit of the Kanak people in their struggle for self-determination.
Published by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), the report details the findings of a regional delegation that visited Kanaky New Caledonia in April 2025, less than a year after the May 2024 uprising—an eruption of anger described as the inevitable result of “France’s flawed decolonisation process.”
“The crisis in Kanaky New Caledonia, in May 2024, was an uprising by those most affected by France’s flawed decolonisation process,” the report states.
“France has consistently breached trust.”
The Breaking Point: Unfreezing the Electoral Rolls
The mission found that France’s decision to “unfreeze” local electoral rolls—allowing recent settlers to vote—was the final provocation that triggered the May 2024 uprising.
“France’s decision to open the voter rolls was the final straw that triggered the populist uprising,” the report confirms, adding that this unilateral move came after “decades of unaddressed Kanak grievances.”
The report argues that while the Matignon and Nouméa Accords were meant to guide Kanaky toward greater autonomy, they have largely failed to deliver the promised “rebalancing of socio-economic power.”
Instead, they entrenched French influence and sidelined traditional Kanak institutions like churches and customary leadership.
“France’s relationship with the region is relatively recent, dating back only a few hundred years, and has been based on conquest, domination, and exploitation,” the mission notes.
Land, Inequality, and Lost Futures
Land remains the heart of the Kanak struggle. Despite 170 years of colonisation and the return of some lands since the 1980s, Kanak communities still hold less than a third of their ancestral territories.
“Customary landowners still hold a mere 27% of the land, while the French state controls 50% and private interests hold 23%,” the report reveals.
A Kanak chief interviewed by the mission asked a haunting question:
“Will the Kanak youth of today have access to land in the future? If they don’t have money, can they access land through customary means? That is the question.”
The chiefs also pointed to the deep conflict between Western land ownership models and the Kanak philosophy that land is sacred and inalienable.
“The land depends on the rules of the 4 I’s – Inalienable, incessant, incommutable, and imprescriptible… The land is transferred from generation to generation. We do not have the right to vote for the land.”
Education and Structural Discrimination
The mission identified the education system as a powerful tool of colonial control, designed to reproduce dependency rather than autonomy.
“The education system is designed to provide workers for the mining industry,” a Kanak mother told the delegation.
Kanak children, the report found, are often “channelled into ‘technical’ training streams rather than academic fields,” reinforcing economic inequality. Bus fare hikes, scholarship restrictions, and school closures after the uprising have further disadvantaged Kanak families. One section calls these measures a “politics of revenge” that punishes entire communities.
Health, Economy, and Collective Punishment
The 2024 uprising and its aftermath triggered an exodus of professionals. Over 10,000 people, including 20% of the country’s doctors, left Kanaky New Caledonia, leading to hospital closures and severe service shortages.
The nickel-dependent economy was devastated.
“The uprising led to the destruction of 800 businesses and the loss of over 20,000 jobs,” the report states.
In what the mission calls collective punishment, the loyalist Southern Province imposed restrictions that “targeted Nouméa neighbourhoods such as Vallée du Tir, Montravel, Dumbea, and Thio for their participation in the so-called May 2024 riots.”
One striking example is Thio, where the local school and health centre were shut down after youth protests.
“The loyalist provincial government decided to penalise the municipality by closing the local primary school, municipal sports facility, and health centre,” the report explains.
Double Standards in Justice
The report documents widespread allegations of bias and brutality within the justice system.
“The French justice system is an instrument of a colonial policy of repression,” one union leader told the mission. “It is a one-sided justice.”
The mission found that over 80% of prisoners are Kanak youth. Some were rapidly sentenced without proper legal representation, and political leaders—including FLNKS President Christian Tein—were deported to prisons in mainland France.
The report calls this “political deportation” and demands their immediate release.
Women, Youth, and Resilience
Amid the crisis, Kanak women have emerged as peacebuilders and community anchors.
“It was the mothers and youth who reorganised life in the multi-cultural neighbourhoods after May 2024,” the report highlights.
Groups like La Natte Kanak, which revives traditional mat weaving, and Solidarité presqu’île de Ducos, a food relief network, embody resilience and cultural preservation.
“We must know more than just how to weave or plant pandanus; we also need to know the history of mats and what they mean for Kanak identity,” said Mami Danguinuy, a Kanak woman leader.
A Call for Regional Solidarity
The mission concludes that France “is not a neutral party” and urges Pacific institutions like the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) to step up as neutral mediators.
“Regional bodies should provide neutral mediation for the decolonisation process… and ensure Kanaky New Caledonia remains on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories,” the report recommends.
It also calls for “the immediate release of Kanak political prisoners and the earliest possible, free, and fair provincial elections.”
An Unbroken Spirit
Despite generations of dispossession, the Kanak people’s resolve remains firm.
“The quest by the Kanak peoples for independence is not solely a political endeavour, but a cultural renaissance that seeks to honour the legacy of ancestors while forging a future grounded in self-governance and equality,” the report concludes.
Their struggle, the mission reminds the Pacific, is not just about independence. It is about justice, dignity, and reclaiming the right to define their own future.
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