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Story: South Pacific peoples

The Pacific Islands

The colonial powers of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America considered it their role to bring what they saw as civilisation to the peoples of the Pacific. Missionaries flocked to the islands, eager to save souls. The South Seas was also a fabled region in 19th-century Europe. At a time when romantic notions of nature were popular, the Pacific was seen as an unspoiled paradise.

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Hocken Collections, University of Otago, Godward Collection Maps

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, South Pacific peoples – Early migration, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/1272/the-pacific-islands (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.