Story: Pacific Islands and New Zealand

Displaying the Nauru flag, 1968

Displaying the Nauru flag, 1968

Representatives of Nauru's three trustee nations – from left, D. J. Carter (a New Zealand Parliamentary under-secretary), Charles Barnes (Australian minister for territories) and Charles Johnson (United Kingdom) – and Hammer DeRoburt, president of newly independent Nauru, stand with the country's new flag in 1968. For years, Nauruan demands over their share of phosphate revenue and the obligations of trustees to look after local people's welfare and heed their aspirations were largely ignored. DeRoburt used the United Nations trusteeship system (under which New Zealand, Britain and Australia had control of the island) to push for Nauru's independence. In 1989 Nauru took Australia to the International Court over its administration of the island and its phosphate reserves, gaining an out-of-court settlement.

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Radio New Zealand International, New Flags Flying - Pacific Leaders Remember

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How to cite this page:

Jon Fraenkel, 'Pacific Islands and New Zealand - Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and Nauru', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/36864/displaying-the-nauru-flag-1968 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Jon Fraenkel, published 20 Jun 2012