Relationship dossier
New Zealand
Samoa
Relationship assessment
A close partnership grounded in the Treaty of Friendship, practical cooperation, and recognition of colonial-era harms
New Zealand toward Samoa
+75New Zealand maintains a formal partnership with Samoa under the Treaty of Friendship and supports bilateral development cooperation and migration and labour pathways. In 2002, New Zealand formally apologized for harms during its administration of Samoa, including the 1918 influenza pandemic and the 1929 killing of Mau demonstrators.
Samoa toward New Zealand
+70Samoa maintains its partnership with New Zealand under the Treaty of Friendship and participates in bilateral cooperation, including migration and labour pathways. Samoa’s independent government has continued formal engagement with New Zealand while the legacy of New Zealand’s colonial administration remains part of the relationship.
Overall relationship
+75The Treaty of Friendship and sustained cooperation on development, migration, and labour provide a durable basis for close relations. The relationship also carries the legacy of New Zealand’s colonial administration; New Zealand’s 2002 apology acknowledged major historical harms, though their continuing significance is not fully clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
New Zealand and Samoa maintain a close, longstanding partnership shaped by the Treaty of Friendship, development cooperation, and migration and labour pathways. New Zealand also formally apologized in 2002 for harms during its administration of Samoa, including the 1918 influenza pandemic and the 1929 killing of Mau demonstrators. The relationship combines sustained practical cooperation with the enduring legacy of New Zealand’s colonial administration.
Areas of tension
- The historical legacy of New Zealand’s administration of Samoa, including the 1918 influenza pandemic and the 1929 killing of Mau demonstrators.
Key developments
Samoa became independent, beginning its sovereign partnership with New Zealand.
New Zealand and Western Samoa signed a Treaty of Friendship.
New Zealand formally apologized for harms during its administration of Samoa.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral development and labour cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which Samoa’s government considers historical grievances resolved remains unclear.