1. A diverse interest group of academics, parliamentarians, Government officials and dispute resolution practitioners from New Zealand and Pacific Island countries met at a hui in the Auckland University of Technology Nga Wai o Horotiu Marae, 20 - 22 February 2004. The declared intent of the hui was to:

Establish a formal Pacific island Conflict Transformtion Network

Establish a brief for this network

Begin developing a "community" of conflict transformation practitioners.

2. The ethnicities of the participants were as diverse as their backgrounds and experience. The cultural context of Maori protocol within which the hui was conducted, coupled with the immediacy of political issues currently dividing communities in Aotearoa /New Zealand, provided an opportunity to reflect on and discuss conflict resolution issues in a real world environment.

3. The purpose of the hui however, was conceived against a larger backdrop. This was the sobering experience of a succession of constitutional crises in Pacific Island countries. It has become apparent that democratic principles and the rule of law as designed by the former colonial powers are failing in their intent to hold some states together as viable civil societies. On a different level, it is equally apparent that the architecture of law and justice in Pacific Island states and in Aotearoa/New Zealand, is failing to provide effective means of resolving underlying tensions and root causes of conflict whether they be historical or caused by systemic unfairness. Equally relevant were concerns about the appropriateness of contemporary mechanisms for dealing with such issues as family violence.

4. The broad consensus of the hui was that it is timely to take a fresh look at whether the alternative forms of dispute resolution that are becoming more preferable in some jurisdictions to the strict application of law, would be equally effective in the region. There was a firmly held view that revitalisation of some indigenous forms of dispute resolution and fusion of these with contemporary techniques of problem solving might provide more effective solutions for disputes in the various cultural contexts that these arise in, in Maori and Pacific Island communities both within Aotearoa /New Zealand and in the wider region.

5. The framework envisaged for advancing this work would be the establishment of a network tentatively called the Pacific Conflict Transformation Network (PCTN). The network would need to be seen to be inclusive but independent of any government, political party or movement, NGO or ideology. It would however, need to establish strong links with all such entities and to establish credibility as an "honest broker" in conflict situations. The PCTN would need a focal point (preferably in the South Pacific) with its own communications and IT system for maintaining the database.

Rod Gates