The idea of a Melanesian Union: Dutch New Guinea, Papua New Guinea and the unrealised federation of 1962

In the years leading up to 1962, several Dutch, Papuan and Australian thinkers imagined a new political constellation for the Pacific: a Melanesian Union or Federation. This proposed bloc would have united Dutch New Guinea, the Australian-administered territories of Papua and New Guinea, and perhaps other nearby islands such as Read more

From self-rule to suppression: the fate of West Papuan independence and Australia’s ambivalent role, 1962–63

The transfer of Dutch New Guinea to Indonesian control in 1963 marked the abrupt end of one of the most promising experiments in decolonisation in the Pacific. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Netherlands had begun preparing the Papuan people for a future of self-government, establishing representative institutions Read more

Dutch and Australian forces join search for Michael Rockefeller in Dutch New Guinea, 1961

In November 1961, Dutch and Australian authorities jointly undertook one of the most extensive search operations ever mounted in Dutch New Guinea. The mission followed the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, son of the then–Governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, whose loss drew international attention to the remote Asmat coast in Read more

Training Dutch officers in Australia for the Netherlands Indies and Papuan development

The Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA)  was created in April 1944 in Australia by the Netherlands Indies Government-in-Exile. Its purpose was to prepare young Dutch and Indo-European officers to restore civil rule across the Netherlands East Indies after the defeat of Japan. NICA organised training courses in Brisbane, using Allied Read more

Bridging Borders: The Dutch–Australian Conference on Joint Development Policy for New Guinea, 1959–60

In the final years of Dutch administration in New Guinea, the Netherlands and Australia sought to establish a common development policy across the island. These conferences, held between 1959 and 1960, symbolised an ambitious vision of regional cooperation in health, education, infrastructure and administration. Yet they were also shaped by Read more