History

Archaeological evidence suggests that Western Samoa was inhabited as early as 1000 B.C. but Polynesian oral histories and traditions do not go back beyond A.D. 1250. Samoan contact with Europe began with the visit by Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen but contacts did not become intensive until the arrival of English missionaries under John Williams in 1830.

Between 1847 and 1861 the United Kingdom the United States and Germany established consular representation at Apia. Intrigues and jealousies among these representatives and the Samoan royal families reached a climax in 1889 when the signing of the Final Act of the Berlin Conference on Samoan Affairs brought Samoan independence and neutrality. Malietoa Laupepa was recognized as king. After the death of King Laupepa in 1898 a dispute over succession to the throne led to adoption in 1900 of a series of conventions whereby the United States annexed Eastern Samoa and Germany took Western Samoa. The United Kingdom withdrew its claims in return for recognition of its rights in other Pacific islands. In 1914 following the outbreak of war in Europe New Zealand's armed forces occupied Western Samoa. In 1919 New Zealand was granted a League of Nations mandate over the territory. By the Samoa Act of 1921 New Zealand made provisions for a civil administration and progress was made in education health and economic development. However some of the New Zealand Government's measures were unpopular with the conservative Samoans and a resistance movement based on civil disobedience lasted until 1936. Steps taken by New Zealand toward a more effectively representative Samoan administration were interrupted by World War II.

In December 1946 Western Samoa was placed under a UN trusteeship with New Zealand as administering authority. The Samoans asked that they be granted self-government but this was not accepted by the United Nations at the time. From 1947 to 1961 a series of constitutional advances assisted by visits from UN missions brought Western Samoa from dependent status to self-government and finally to independence. In 1947 a Legislative Assembly was established in Western Samoa. In March 1953 New Zealand proposed a quickened pace of political and economic development and a constitutional convention representing all sections of the Samoan community met in 1954 to study proposals for political development. Most of its recommendations were adopted by New Zealand and governed the territory's evolution toward cabinet government. In January 1959 a working committee of self-government empowered to work out a draft constitution was established with New Zealand's approval. Cabinet government was inaugurated in October 1959 and Fiame Mataafa F.M. II became the first prime minister. In August 1960 a second constitutional convention produced the constitution adopted in October 1960 and other important recommendations. At the request of the United Nations a plebiscite was held in May 1961 and an overwhelming majority of the Samoan people voted for independence. In November 1961 the UN General Assembly voted unanimously to end the trusteeship agreement and the New Zealand Parliament passed the Independent State of Western Samoa Act formally ending New Zealand's powers over the country on January 1 1962.