Western Samoa becomes independent
- When
- 1 January 1962
- Reach
- Nationwide
The first Pacific nation to regain independence in the twentieth century did so from New Zealand, ending 48 years of often harsh administration.
New Zealand had governed Samoa since seizing it from Germany in 1914. Its record included the 1918 influenza catastrophe, when a ship was allowed to dock and around a fifth of the population died, and the shooting of Mau demonstrators on Black Saturday in 1929. Prime Minister Helen Clark apologised for both in 2002. The Treaty of Friendship signed at independence, and later migration, make Samoa central to modern Auckland.
Regions affected
Sources
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