The ladies of Pacifica hear

it from Mr Muldoon

It is vital that Pacific Island people coming into the New Zealand community think of themselves as New Zealanders, the New Zealand Prime Minis ter, Mr Robert Muldoon, has said, according to William Gasson in Wellington.

“New Zealanders, if you like, of Samoan origin, or Cook

Island origin, or Tongan origin,

or Niuean, but New Zealanders, part of the New Zealand community,” he said.

He was speaking at the third conference of Pacifica held in Dunedin the organisation that has brought together in New Zealand, the women of the Pacific Islands.

“Similarly with all of us,” Mr Muldoon continued. “We should retain a pride in our ancestry and our indigenous culture and think of ourselves, first and foremost, as New Zealanders, living as one people, as was said at the

beginning of European settle

ment at the time of the Treaty

of Waitangi.

“Just as it was in the years of the last century, when the European settlers came to a strange and primitive land, so the migration today from the various Pacific Islands to New Zealand represents a shock and a difficult experience to those who make the journey.

“The language is different and difficult, the food, the diet, is different, the customs are different and the day-to-day experiences are new and fright ening,” he said.

New Zealanders had been slow to appreciate the impact of all these things on the new arrivals and had not always been generous in making al lowances for these difficulties, he added.

Some 30-odd years ago the Maori Women’s Welfare League came into its own at a time when the Maori people

were facing similar disrupting

experiences, he said.

Over the years it had per formed an important task under most difficult conditions as the Maori people became urbanised.

“The far-sighted women who just a year or two ago came together to found Pacifica with a similar aim for New Zealanders of Pacific

Island origin, have performed

a magnificent task in building this organisation to its present strength in such a short time,”

Mr Muldoon added.

Switching to the future role of the South Pacific region Mr Muldoon said the South Pacific Forum was a loosely formed association which discussed issues in what was called “the Pacific Way” that is discussing at length, without heat,

whatever the issue may be until such time as all are agreed on what the decision should be.

“Looking further forward, and long after my time in government, I would see the future of our part of the Pacific as being a loosely knit feder ation of independent states covering the whole of the peoples of the South Pacific,”

Mr Muldoon said.

Robert Muldoon

Parliament buildings, Wellington.