King’s Birthday Honours: Journalist reflects on work in the Pacific

“Back in time,” is how Dr David Robie describes the situation in New Caledonia.

Robie, a New Zealand author, journalist, and media educator has covered the Asia-Pacific region for international media for more than four decades.

He reported on the Kanak uprising in the 1980s and says it's happening again in the French territory.

Robie's comments follow the rioting and looting in New Caledonia's capital Noumēa on 13 May by protesters against France President Emmanuel Macron's plan for electoral reform.

At least seven people have died and hundreds injured with damage estimated in the millions of dollars.

“The tragic thing is that we’ve gone back in time," he told PMN News.

"Things were progressing really well towards independence and then it’s all gone haywire.

“But back in the 80s, it was a very terrible time. At the end of the 80s with the accords, there was so much hope for the Kanak people.”

Robie, who has travelled to Noumēa multiple times, has long advocated for liberation for Kanaky/New Caledonia and was even arrested at gunpoint by French police in January 1987.

He reflected on his work throughout the Pacific, which included his involvement in the Rainbow Warrior bombing, covering the Sandline crisis in Papua New Guinea, and helping his students report the George Speight-led coup of 2000 in Fiji.

“Because I was a freelance journalist, I could actually go and travel to many countries and spend a lot of time there.”

“I guess that’s been my commitment really, helping to tell stories at a grassroots level and also trying to empower other journalists.”

Robie’s commitment has been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours and is named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

What Robie calls “an incredible surprise”, he says the award also serves as recognition for those who’ve worked alongside him.

“Right now, we need journalists more than ever. We’re living in a world of absolute chaos of disinformation."

Robie says trust in the media has declined due to there being too much opinionated and personality journalism.

“We’re moving more towards niche journalism, if I might say, mainstream journalism is losing its way and Pacific media actually fit into the niche journalism mode.

“So I think there will be a growing support and need for Pacific journalism whereas mainstream media’s got a lot more battle on its hands.”