Pacific Islands Bullied by Australian, NZ Trade Officials, Say Experts

Tactics employed by Australia and NZ to push Pacific Island countries into signing a free trade agreement are a form of “contemporary colonization.”

Satellite image of Bora Bora's main island, referred to as 'The Marvelous Island.' Bora Bora is part of French Polynesia, located northwest of Tahiti in the South Pacific. The island is more than seven million years old. Spaceimaging.com/Getty Images

AUCKLAND, N.Z.—Tactics employed by Australia and New Zealand to push Pacific Island countries into signing a free trade agreement are a form of “contemporary colonization,” said academic and respected analyst on Pacific Island affairs, Professor Jane Kelsey at a seminar in Auckland last week.

Pacific Island officials involved in the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) negotiations with Australia and New Zealand are worried that they are being pressured into signing an agreement that they do not fully understand, she said.