A study of the developing pattern of education and the factors influencing that development in New Zealand's Pacific dependencies

Abstract

In reading history one tends to anticipate a smooth flowing story of cause and effect in which the effects become further causes, building up a logical series of events. At the outset of this study it became evident that before a thesis could be attempted on education in the Pacific Islands, one would have to refer to an historical source book, but this search was in vain. It became imperative therefore, to set out compiling my own. The result has been the rather bulky historical section presented as Part One. Practically every item in this section has been culled from departmental files or documents. The documentary records are scattered, and only too often suffering from neglect. Some are housed in sheds and shanties, many are rotting if not rat-eaten, and in most cases they lie loose and higgley-pigly, unclassified and virtually unconsultable - a sad testimony to the urgent need for a national archive system in New Zealand. In compiling this source-book it was felt that the vast amount of work entailed was justified, since it would not only be valuable for my thesis but might encourage other students to pursue further lines of specialised re-research using this spade-work. I have had to choose between the smooth-running story and the chronologically complete source-book, thus only too often sacrificing the continuity for completeness of information. In spite of this, I hope that the story has not been obscured entirely, for a story there is, which flows throughout the historical account. It preaches the gospel that the Island peoples need planned help. It is a record of 'muddling along' in which one senses in the history of the various groups, a series of frustrations, of brilliant and enthusiastic plans that often died still-born, or that withered in a parched ground of disinterestedness. The historic survey records many plans which were disrupted by political changes, by financial crises, or by changes in personnel.