 The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present the Pacific Story. In the midst of the fury of world conflict, events in the Pacific are taking on ever greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and its peoples whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here is the tale of the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. The Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company and dedicated to a fuller understanding of the vast Pacific Basin. This broadcast series comes to you as another public service, the drama of the past and present, of the millions of people who live around the world's greatest sea, where the east at last meets the west. New Zealand, sea lane center of the South Pacific. The mud is much in enemies, the Japs. Yeah, every guy looks the same. Looked as if they're getting near the loss of it. It's a terrific job. Moving up supplies in a place like Bougainville. I have an idea that we'll be getting the order to advance any time now. Yeah, I want to get going. Oh, it's probably a little while yet. Hey, you're with that New Zealand outfit nearest, aren't you? Yes. I hit the beach with the first American outfit. Yes, we came in right next to you. Oh, we've been doing it ever since we hit the beach. It's bringing us your supplies. Shells, gasoline, rations. Oh, it takes a lot of it. Yeah, but I'm all steamed up. I want to get going. It's going to be tough. These jungles here on Bougainville are filled with jets. Ah, I've seen plenty of them already. You'll see a lot more when the order comes to move up. They'll probably all move up together, huh? You're outfitting mine? Yes, probably. You know, Sergeant, I never thought when I used to ride the manhattan transfer that I'd be out here in the Solomon's itching to get at those Japs. No. Uh, where are you from? Me? From Jersey. Jersey? Oh, that's New Jersey, isn't it? Yeah, but I miss New York. There's a town. Ever been there? No. Someday I hope to see it, though. Great, townie. You're great. Sure, I miss it. Oh, I miss Wellington, too. Oh, we're in Australia, huh? No. New Zealand. Oh, same thing, ain't it, practically? Indeed it is not. Oh, it's those islands right down there off Australia. New Zealand is 1,200 miles from Australia. That's about as far as where New York is from, say, Puerto Rico. 1,200 miles. Eh, but it's practically the same as Australia, huh? New Zealand is the Dominion, and Australia is the Commonwealth. New Zealand has its own government. Is that so? We've had it for quite a good many years. Hm. Had an idea England settled New Zealand with prisoners. Oh, no, no. Matter of fact, Captain Cook, you've heard of him, haven't you? Yeah, the fellow that sailed all over the Pacific and discovered the Hawaiian islands. Well, Captain Cook annexed New Zealand for Britain, but the government in London didn't want it and refused to take it. Hm. You mean Cook looked like a chump, huh? Well, it did turn out all right. There was a fellow named Wakefield. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, I believe it was, and he made quite a name for himself by organising colonies. Now, Wakefield was the kind of a... The old haphazard way of settlement is passed. Instead of founding colonies of undesirables, we should found colonies of our best stock. When you say our best stock, Mr Wakefield, what do you mean? Oh, just what it implies. People morally and physically worthy to become colonists. Well, but can you get people of this quality to cross the sea to a desolate wilderness? What incentive is there? There is the greatest incentive on earth, the founding of a new Commonwealth. I believe Mr Wakefield is right. If we send settlers of high character, we shall have a colony of high character. Yes. We will build with intelligence and purpose from the very first. It is my belief that there should be a careful selection of Anglicans. There should be inducements to workers of all kinds, even to capitalists. That is the basis of the colonies I organised in South Australia. But the British government has not given you official permission. The government hasn't the vision to see the value of this scientific colonisation. Then you'd best drop the whole thing, Mr Wakefield. No, no, I say go ahead with it. You can't go ahead with it if the government does not permit. The government cannot prevent us, who have organised this New Zealand company from buying land in New Zealand and moving over there and settling. Is that right, Mr Wakefield? That is my belief. It is my opinion that we should send an agent to New Zealand and buy land wholesale. And that we should then send a shipload of settlers, regardless of the government in London. But before Wakefield's ship had sailed with the New Zealand Company of Colonists, the British government learned that France had organised a company to get to New Zealand first. Or to throw out Wakefield and his settlers if they got there first. So the British government got busy. They sent Captain Hobson of the Royal Navy to New Zealand to annex the country by some peaceful arrangement with the Maori. Captain Hobson, in the HMS Herald, sailed into the Bay of Islands in January 1840. And some days later, he and some of his officials met with about 500 Maori chiefs at the mouth of the Watangi River. They drew up a treaty, and then they... I have never seen such an array of chiefs in all my years at sea, Mr Boswell. They are men of high character, Captain Hobson. In all my years here as British resident, I have found them to be people of intelligence and integrity. Has the Reverend Williams informed them all of the purpose of this conference? He has informed all the head chiefs and they, in turn, have informed the lesser ones. I trust they'll be disposed to receive our proposal favourably, Mr Boswell. That will depend on the Reverend Williams. Being our interpreter, he must communicate with them for us. You did an excellent job in drawing up the treaty, Mr Boswell. Thank you, sir. The Reverend Williams will be here in a moment now with his translation of it. It's well for us that the Maori respect our missionaries. They judge us by them. Oh, yes. Oh, here comes the Reverend Williams now. Good. Here's the translation of the Treaty of Waitangi, Captain Hobson. Mm-hmm. Thank you. Hmm. I'm gratified that you can read this, your reverence. Well, here. We start here by telling the chiefs why you are here as a representative of the Queen. And then here we assure them of the good faith of Her Majesty's government. Good, good. Then we get into the treaty proper. It says that as our Queen is desirous of establishing a settled form of government here in New Zealand, that we ask the Maori to cede all their rights of sovereignty to Her Majesty. That's right here, you see. Yes, yes. Good you. In turn, Her Majesty will guarantee the Maori full use of their lands and properties. Mm-hmm. Yes. And here, you see, we say that in consideration of these things, Her Majesty will extend her protection to the Maori and confer upon them all the rights of British subjects. Very good, your reverence. Very good. Uh, we're ready then, Mr. Basbe. Yes, Captain Hobson. Very well. Call the conference to order and present the Reverend Williams who will submit the treaty to them. Well, those 500 Maori chiefs sat there on the north bank of the Wachtangi River and listened to the Reverend Williams, asked them to turn New Zealand over to the Queen. There was a big discussion. Some of the chiefs were against the whole idea. But at last one of them, a famous Ngapui chief, stood up and made a speech. All the other chiefs listened to him. And some days later, they signed the treaty. And New Zealand came under the British Crown. The first time one country was ever taken over by another country, by peaceful agreement. You didn't have any trouble with the Maori at all, huh? Just, uh, took over the country. Oh, no, no. There was a good deal of bloodshed. Uh, uprisings, eh? Yes. You see, the Maori had fought among themselves for centuries before we came to New Zealand. The government tried to protect the Maori. But they traded many of their lands to the white settlers for guns and blankets without knowing that they were really selling their lands. Huh. Like us Americans in the Indians. Yes. Much like that. And the Maori fought stubbornly against the British for many years. It was in 1864, I think, that Brigadier General Kerry learned that a Maori force was digging in at a place called Arakau. About seven miles from his quarters. He surrounded the native poor, that's the sort of a fort, with 2,000 men. Then he attacked the people. Looks as though Chief Rewi has thrown back this attack too, General Kerry. Extraordinary courage that man has. We must have six or seven times as many men as he has. Rewi, can't have more than 300 or so? Yes. This is the third day he's held us off. They must be running out of water in there. And food. Well, General Cameron has pushed us up to the earthworks and asked Rewi when he's garrisoned to surrender. I shouldn't expect surrender from Rewi, General Kerry. He picked them under almost constant rifle and artillery. He can't hang on forever. Listen to their Maori war cry. But Maori war cry tells their defiant spirit. General Kerry. General Cameron? I have invited the garrison to surrender and this is the answer Rewi sent back. What does Rewi say? He says, peace will never be made. This is the word of the Maori. We will fight forever and ever and ever. Forever and ever and ever. And Rewi means it too, sir. Send him an offer to let the women come out. Yes, sir. Then we can storm the power gate. Word was carried to Rewi offering to let the women come out before the power was stormed again. But Rewi sent back the answer that the women would fight as well as the men. So the British attacked again. They used rifles and hand grenades. But the Maori repulsed every attack. At last the fighting stopped completely. And then suddenly about four o'clock in the afternoon Rewi and his men made a break. General Ferry. Rewi and his men are making a break for it. Is it keeping? Have you those field bosses over there? General Scott is trying to intercept them, sir. By Jove, they've broken out of the south side of the farm. Yes, sir. Scott is too late. They're streaming through the swamp. They must have taken so much by surprise they went right through one of our regiments, sir. Someone's intercepting them back there. A mountain crew in uniform. That's the forest rangers. The forest rangers. They've stopped them. By Jove, Rewi has escaped us. All 300 Maori were found dead. Strewed over the par and the field. But Rewi escaped. He escaped to live in peace with the pahika. Which means white man in the Maori language. His words, kawaii wai tonu ake ake ake, we shall fight forever and ever and ever have become more widely known than anything else in Maori history. After the Maori were defeated, they started to go down. They lost interest in their country under the pahika. And then the white man diseases came, measles, influenza, tuberculosis. For a while, we were afraid they would die out. But toward the end of the century, they started to increase again. Today, there are about 90,000 Maori in New Zealand. But only about half of them are pure blood. The Maori helped those first settlers that came to New Zealand. Oh, they had a bad time of it when they first came. But the Maori helped them through it. And a leader, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, with his ideas of scientific settlement, became one of the greatest empire builders of his time. You know, he really was the founder of New Zealand. And he helped to draw up the first constitution when New Zealand got representative government in the 1850s. New Zealand then became even more British than Britain. As the years passed, many remarkable men came along. In the early 1890s, a great political leader came along named Richard Seddon. They called him King Dick. And he was one of the most popular... You've always been Prime Minister since 1893. But he's done well by yours, ain't he? Thirteen years he's been Prime Minister. Been in there long enough to be King, he has. In New Zealand just as he likes. That's been all right with us farmers. Yes, but look what he's gone and done with this woman's suffrage matter. Oh, that business of female franchises wrangled over a long time before King Dick came in. Yes, both parties were for it. Right. So John Hall was for it and so was Bellens. They were for it, but did they ever give the votes to the women? No, they were too smart for that. They had opposition in their parties. Both of them. Tell it King Dick, till he got to be Prime Minister. Oh, now look, it wasn't King Dick that put it through. It couldn't have done it. Couldn't have done it if King Dick hadn't let him. I think it's a good thing. Votes for women? Where else in the world have women got the vote? Tell me. The trouble with King Dick is that he puts through any kind of laws that please him. Good laws. He's the one put through the laws for us farmers. And for you working people too, isn't he? Right, that he did. And if it weren't for King Dick, where would all business be? Ships are going out of here every day with our meat and butter and cheese and all in refrigerators. But King Dick didn't invent the refrigerator, did he? No, but I say, let King Dick run New Zealand any way he likes, long as he runs it as he's been running it for the past 13 years. But King Dick Seddon died in 1906 and the government of New Zealand passed into the hands of the conservatives. And the next year New Zealand became a dominion of the British Empire. This change was received by New Zealanders I don't see why they didn't leave us a colony. Well, Australia's a Commonwealth and Canada's a dominion. We're different. We're really part of England. It's a promotion for a nation to become a dominion. Say, did you see this in the paper? Sir Joseph Ward has offered Britain as a gift from us, one or two first class battleships. What? Here? Have a seat. Does that mean we've got to pay for them? Yes, everybody in New Zealand. Well, they're nervous Sir Joseph. What do you mean making a gift of one or two battleships from us? Oh, that's unconstitutional. He's only the Prime Minister ain't he? Hmm, might be a good idea though. What with Germany's navy now getting close to the size of Britain's? Germany's navy as big as Britain's. Sure, that's what the First Lord of the Admiralty said in London the other day. Yes, and don't forget that Germany's been getting mighty ambitious out here in the Pacific. She's up there in Samoa and that isn't so very far from us. Germany's got the Caroline Islands and the Mariana... Oh, you don't think that Germany's good to bother us do you? It would have Britain never went to war with Germany. Maybe it would anyway. I say it's a good thing for New Zealand to give Britain a battleship. But what does Sir Joseph mean, one or two battleships? Why not give them a small destroyer, two battleships? Oh, that's an enormous amount of money if you ask me. Well, Britain accepted the offer of one warship. And the HMS New Zealand, a battle cruiser, was built. It cost every man, woman and child in New Zealand two pounds. But it turned out to be a good investment. Within the next few years, Britain was at war with Germany. And the German navy was operating all over the Pacific. Eleven days after the outbreak of the First World War, a force left New Zealand to take German Samoa. They took it without firing a shot. But soon New Zealanders were in the thick of the fighting. And reports came back from the battle fronts everywhere, gelling of the part they were playing. New Zealand troops have repelled an attack on the Suez Canal. New Zealanders and Australians have landed on Kulipili. New Zealand forces have distinguished themselves at the Battle of the Somme. New Zealand forces are in action in machines and in flanders. New Zealanders have helped repulse the enemy in Palestine. New Zealand troops rushed up to fill a gap made by the advancing Germans and are today among the allied forces marching into Germany. Well, out of our eligible male population of 250,000 during the First World War, we had more than 124,000 New Zealanders under arms. A good many of them were Maori. When the war was over, Western Samoa was made a mandated territory of New Zealand and that satisfied most New Zealanders because we had felt for a long time that any other power in the island above us is a menace. For a long time, we asked Britain to take those islands or let us take them. You see, New Zealand has fought along imperial lines for years. Ever since it was founded, in fact. Well, that's what I can understand, Sergeant. Why is that? Well, because it had to depend on Britain for protection, being way out in the Pacific alone for one thing. But mostly, it's because New Zealand is the most British country outside of Great Britain itself. Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. Well, to begin with, the people who settle in New Zealand weren't driven out of anywhere like many settlers were. No, they left to come out in New Zealand of their own free will. So, we never thought of ourselves as exiles. We came out here for greater opportunities. But we brought as much of Britain with us as we could. British customs, traditions, things like that. We think of ourselves as part of Britain. Matter of fact, 95% of us are British. Imagine that. New Zealand is just about as far away from England as it can get, isn't it? Yes. We're almost exactly on the opposite side of the world. New Zealand, like Britain, has to depend on overseas trade. We are the sea lane centre of the South Pacific. And in almost any of our seaports, you can see... What are you taking back to England, Captain? Cargo of butter, cheese, meat. One of the most interesting things I've noticed in my visit here in New Zealand is the great amount of international trade. New Zealand has the highest value of international trade per head of any country in the world. That's because it is more or less isolated out here in the Pacific. Yes, and of course that means that all the trade out here is seaborn. That's one reason for the development of shipping on such a great scale between New Zealand and Britain. Then you operate almost exclusively between Britain and New Zealand, Captain. Yes. You might say that British and New Zealand shipping holds a monopoly on the overseas trade out here. British finance controls it. Of course there are lines to Australia and the United States, but most of the commercial transactions are made in London. I noticed that when you shipped out several days ago, Captain, you brought a number of passengers. Those were university faculty men. They came from the schools in Britain to take up staff jobs in the universities out here. They'll feel pretty well out of it. Being way out here, I should think. Oh no. The New Zealand newspapers have direct cables to Britain and they print immense amount of news from England. Actually, the university faculty men coming out here and the close ties in newspapers and books. Yes, even in music and art, has made New Zealand out here sort of a bit of England itself. That explains the greater influence of Britain on New Zealand than on Australia. That is true, but while New Zealand has always depended for protection on British naval power, now, since the war in the Pacific, it is depending more and more on American naval power. Well, do you take that to mean, Captain, that New Zealand is drawing closer to the United States? In a certain sense, yes. When New Zealand appointed its first minister abroad, it appointed one of its cabinet ministers to Washington, a Walter Nash. Yes, yes. He's now on the Pacific War Council. A very evil man. New Zealand dominates the sea lanes in the South Pacific and this is pretty sure to be a more and more important factor in New Zealand's foreign relations. Well, Sergeant, if you don't have many factories down there, how do you make 11? Well, more and more factories are being built, but we make a living off the land, most of us. Oh, on farms, huh? Yes, by raising cows and sheep mostly. We have about 30 million sheep and about 2,500,000 beef cattle. And we have about 2 million dairy cows giving milk. Do you know the biggest butter factory in the world is in New Zealand? Yes, well, but of course, we ship most of our products to the United Kingdom. Then most of the people in New Zealand are farmers. No, no. New Zealand is a country of many farmers, but it also has an industrial working class. You know, New Zealand has one of the strongest Labour parties in the world. Do you mean they have their own political party? Yes. The Labour Party really began about 1905, but it didn't come into power until the middle of the 30th. We members of the Labour Party have fought for our place in the government of New Zealand for nearly 40 years. Well, tell me, why was it that it took until 1935 before the Labour Party won any offices? Well, the way of our government is organized, had something to do with it. You see, we have no states in New Zealand as you have in America. Central government rules the entire country. Then the Labour Party could not win a little control in some section of the nation and then build up to the national government. No, no. We had to win offices in the national government at the very outset. I can readily understand the difficulty. But after we once got started in 1935, we've gone right along ever since. We won a decisive victory in 1938. We were elected with a two-thirds majority. Well, how did the Labour Party come to win this unusual support? We won the support of the nation with a program of social reform and state economic control. You Americans probably know that here in New Zealand we have government ownership of railways, of telegraphs, radio and hydroelectric power. Well, and we have municipal ownership of the utilities, hospitals and government fire insurance and life insurance. No, I didn't know that. Then your government has organized somewhat along socialist lines, hmm? No, rather along social democratic lines. We New Zealanders have taken all these things for granted for many years now. But isn't there a feeling that you're doing away with the private enterprise and ownership? Not at all, not at all. These things are traditional. You must understand that we members of the Labour Party draw support from the trade unions and from city workers and public service employees. I see. And tell me, what of the small farmers? The small farmers with the program of the Labour Party is so broad that we draw support from the small farmer too and also from the professional people. Most of the party leaders and members of the present Labour Government too are working men who have come up through the ranks of the trade unions. Well, how does this affect the New Zealand war effort? The Labour Party is behind the present war. All of us. The National Party is too, isn't it? Oh, yes. Actually, New Zealand was against Britain's policy of appeasement. We here in the South Pacific realized years ago that if war was to come, our policy could be removed. You see, Corporal, we have seen the changes coming in the Pacific. And for a long time, we've been concerned about what position we will occupy after the war. We are close to Britain, yes. But in the years to come, our destiny will probably be tied closer to that of the other nations of the Pacific than to Britain. I think you're right, Sergeant. Yes, sir. I think you're right at that. Oh, we're listen to that. Hey, that's our artillery opening up. That means we'll be moving up pretty soon now. Hey, are you getting nervous, Yank? I'm getting anxious to get going. All right, Lane! All right! All right! That's my outfit. I've got to go, Sergeant. I do too. So long, Sergeant. See you later. Somewhere. Good. Remember the war cry of Chief Rewey? About fighting forever and ever and ever? Yes. Ake, Ake, Ake. Well, let's use it when we go in. What do you say? Great. No buyer in my house will know what it means, but I'll tell him later. All in! All in, then! Don't forget it now, Yank. Ake, Ake, Ake! I won't! Jebs, here I come! Ake, Ake! Because of the way in which New Zealand was settled, because of its inspiring Maori history, because of its strategic location as the sea-lane centre of the South Pacific, because of its leadership in social advances, New Zealand has ceased to be two relatively small islands 1200 miles from Australia and is rising to take its place as a factor of greater and greater importance in the affairs of the Pacific. As a United Nations base in the South Pacific, New Zealand is undergoing great changes which promise to influence its character after the war and which in turn will help to shape the great Pacific era of development that lies ahead. You have been listening to The Pacific Story, presented by the national broadcasting company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross-currents of life in the Pacific Basin. A reprint of this Pacific Story program is available at the cost of ten cents. Send ten cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. That's University of California Press, Berkeley, California, directed by Arnold Marquis. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Paluso, your narrator, Gaine Whitman. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the national broadcasting company.