‘Islands prefer old friends’

Press, 22 July 1976, Page 6

‘Islands prefer old friends’

South 1 Pacific island nations would prefer to stick by their traditional friends rather than turn to new "and possibly dangerous” sources of aid. according to the Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Taiboys). The Soviet Union’s recent offer to co-operate with Tonga in fisheries development had an understandable attraction for countries such as Tonga and Western Samoa, Mr Taiboys told the Waitaki High School Old Boys’ Association in Christchurch this week. But he said that both countries — along with the Islands — would prefer to continue looking to their traditional friends rather than turn to new sources of help - u u “The question is whether these traditional friends are prepared to do enough,” Mr Taiboys said. The Government believed that stability and peaceful development, in the South Pacific was vital to New Zealand's security. “This is why successive

New Zealand governments have encouraged political development in the South Pacific countries, so they would not feel that their only course was to abandon the continuing links formed under colonial rule and seek doubtful champions elsewhere in the world,” said Mr Taiboys. New Zealand had a $5O million export trade with the Pacific islands, and poured more than half of its direct country-to-country aid into the area each year. Although money was shorter this year. New Zealand’s aid allocation to the Pacific would increase, Mr Taiboys said. He said the Government would seek the co-operation of manufacturers and trade unions in setting up joint commercial ventures with the island countries. “But these will have to be sensitively handled to avoid creating the Big Brother image New Zealand could so easily have in the islands,” Mr Taiboys said.