28 years later: NZ to host Bougainville talks for a peaceful future

New Zealand will host post-referendum talks between Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government next week.

These discussions will be led by independent moderator Sir Jerry Mateparae and his United Nations team.

New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters announced that the “Burnham Consultations” would be held at the Burnham Military Camp in Canterbury, which was chosen at Sir Jerry’s request.

He was appointed to the role last October following a joint meeting with PNG Prime Minister James Marape and Bougainville leader Ishmael Toroama.

“New Zealand looks forward to welcoming parties to the Bougainville Peace Agreement back to Burnham, 28 years after we last hosted peace talks there,” Peters says.

The military camp is significant as the site of the initial Bougainville peace talks 28 years ago.

“Our involvement is to provide the venue and environment necessary for substantive discussions on Bougainville’s political future,” Peters says.

“Reaching a mutually agreed outcome is important for Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, and the wider region, as is upholding the integrity of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, to which New Zealand is a witnessing signatory.”

The agreement established a weapons disposal plan, provided for elections leading to the establishment of an autonomous government on Bougainville, and included a non-binding referendum on the issue of independence, which was to take place 10 to 15 years after the election of an Autonomous Bougainville Government.

Sir Jerry Mateparae, a former head of New Zealand's Defence Force, was also a commander of the Peace Monitoring Group, which provided security on Bougainville after a truce ended the civil war in 1997. Photo/NZ Governor-General website

Bougainville is an island province of Papua New Guinea located 800 kilometres east of the capital, Port Moresby. It became part of the newly-independent PNG in 1975, after being under German, British, Japanese, and Australian control.

Bougainville’s close ethnic ties and proximity to the Solomon Islands have complicated its integration into Papua New Guinea.

The upcoming talks will focus on resolving outstanding issues after Bougainville’s non-binding referendum in 2019, in which 97.7 per cent of voters supported independence from PNG.

Burnham Military Camp is the largest military barracks in the South Island, located 28km south of Christchurch. Photo/NZDF

The referendum’s outcome must be ratified by Papua New Guinea’s national Parliament for it to take effect.

At that time, PNG’s Cabinet considered a process of up to 10 years for a possible transition to independence.

Delegates from Port Moresby and Bougainville will arrive in Christchurch on Friday to participate in the consultations.

Watch leaders from the Autonomous Bougainville Government at the signing of the Land Access & Compensation Agreement last November at Panguna, between traditional landowners and the Bougainville Copper Limited below.