The first ever meeting of the Pambu Management Committee to be held outside Canberra will be at Hilo, Hawai’i, on 9 July 1996, in conjunction with the conference of the Pacific History Association. International members of Pambu will be able to participate directly in Pambu decision making for the first time. The Committee determines specific projects to be undertaken by Pambu and prioritises them, gives general direction to Pambu’s activities and oversees its administrative and financial affairs. For example, Professor Donald Denoon has put up digitisation of Pambu products for discussion and Mr Stephen Innes has indicated he would like to present to the Committee some general feedback on the direction the University of Auckland faculty would like to see the filming programme take.
Dr Karen Peacock will represent the University of Hawai’i Library and Ms Cathy Creely, of the Melanesian Studies Research Center, University of California, San Diego, is also planning to attend. The New Zealand members will be represented by Ms Diane Woods of the Alexander Turnbull Library and Mr Stephen Innes of the University of Auckland Library. Ms Margaret Phillips of the National Library of Australia will also be present. The Australian National University will be represented by Professor Donald Denoon and Dr Brij Lal. The Bureau’s Executive Officer, Ewan Maidment, will also be present.
The project was arranged at the invitation of the Tongan Ministry of Justice following a fire in a library annex among the High Court buildings in Nuku’alofa earlier in 1995. The aim was to make preservation microfilm copies of key records. The project was directed by the Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mrs Temaleti M. A. Pahulu.
Judicial power in Tonga is vested in the Supreme Court, the Land Court and the Magistrates’ Court. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice and, at present, a puisne judge, both appointed by the King. The Magistrates’ Courts are presided over by Magistrates appointed by the Premier with the advice of Cabinet. Magistrates’ Courts are permanently established in Tongatapu, ’Eua, Ha’apai, Vava’u and Niuatoputapu. The Land Court was established in 1923. It consists of the Land Court Judge who sits with an Assessor. The duty of the Assessor is to advise the judge on Tongan custom. He has no voice in the decisions of the Court. There is an appeal as of right to the Privy Council from decisions of the Supreme Court in its civil jurisdiction and the Land Court.
With the exception of the Magistrates’ Court records, the Registrar of the Supreme Court holds responsibility for all judicial records as well as births, deaths and marriage registrations ("vital statistics").
The records are held in various locations :
The Land Court minute books, 1923-1940, and as many land and civil case judgements as possible were located and filmed. Key documents from all the Land Court case files we could muster, mainly over the period 1971-1992, were also filmed. The land case file documents filmed included the cover notes (which track the progress of the cases and note decisions) the claim, the defence, the counter-claim, any evidence, orders and judgements. Only judgements on civil cases were filmed, mainly over the period 1975-1994, including appeal judgements.
With the approval of the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mr Siaosi ’Aho, the following records were filmed:
| PMB 1086 | SUPREME COURT OF TONGA: |
| Marriage certificates, 1892-1909. 1-4 reels. Usual access. | |
| PMB 1088 | SUPREME COURT OF TONGA: |
| Civil and divorce registers, 1905-1992 | |
| Adoption registers, 1987-1992 | |
| Criminal registers, Tongatapu, 1969-1992 | |
| Civil action registers, 1985-1992 | |
| Miscellaneous judgements, 1975-1992 | |
| Miscellaneous appeal judgements, 1986-1995 | |
| Photographs of Mr Justice George Scott CJ, Mr Justice Henry Stead, Roberts CJ, and Mr Justice D. B. Hunter | |
| LAND COURT OF TONGA: | |
| Minute books, 1923-1940 | |
| Registers, 1923-1991 | |
| Land case files (Selected documents from available files), 1947-1992 | |
| TONGA COURT OF APPEAL: | |
| Miscellaneous judgements, 1990-1995 | |
| TONGA PRIVY COUNCIL COURT OF APPEAL: | |
| Judgements, 1924, 1954-1988 | |
| PMB 1086 | GOVERNMENT OF TONGA: PREMIER'S DEPARTMENT. 1 reel. Usual access: |
| Letter book, May 1873-Nov 1874 | |
| Letterbook, Jun 1880-Jun 1883 | |
| Premier's correspondence-out, Dec 1933-Sep 1936 | |
| PMB 1095 | SUPREME COURT OF TONGA REGISTRY. 2 reels. Restricted access. |
| Tongatapu: Births and deaths registers, 1867-1888 | |
| Tongatapu: Births registers, 1888-1907 | |
| Tongatapu: Deaths registers, 1888-1906 | |
| Tongatapu: Births by villages, 1892-1900 | |
| Tongatapu: Deaths by villages, 1906-1931 | |
| Vava'u: Births registers, 1872-1915 | |
| Ha'apai: Births registers, 1888-1918 | |
| Niuafo'ou: Births registers, 1885-1973 | |
| Niua'topu Tapu: Births registers, 1895-1926 |
Two stray Tonga Government letterbooks were found in the Justice Archives and filmed during the project. The letterbooks, May 1873-Nov 1874 and Jun 1880-Jun 1883, are not referenced in Noel Rutherford’s Shirley Baker and the King of Tonga. They both hold correspondence-out of Baker on behalf of the government, including correspondence with Henry Parkes and the German Consulate in Sydney, and correspondence documenting the domestic imposition of taxes and the licensing of European traders in Tonga.
These two stray letterbooks are part of a series of the Premier’s (Baker’s) letterbooks, 1884-1890, which Dr Elizabeth Wood-Ellem deposited with other archives of the Tonga Government in the State Library of Victoria in 1974. In response to Pambu’s request to film the rest of the letterbooks, the Minister for Justice recommended approval to Cabinet which issued a letter of authorisation on 10 May. Pambu is planning to make the films in August.
Mr George ’Aho, Mrs Pahulu and Mr George Vete expressed some interest in making stronger arrangements for the preservation of Tonga Government archives in general and archives of the judiciary in particular. Dr Elizabeth Wood-Ellem said that she would support and encourage such proposals during her trip to Tonga this year. Pambu sent Mr George Vete, at his request, copies of the archives legislation of Australia, Solomon Islands and Fiji (including Fijian subsidiary legislation, Public Records (Courts) Rules) and a copy of an article on the establishment and development of the PNG Archives by Kevin Green and Moeka Helai (JPH, Vol.6, 1971).
Hon. Vau Vaea, Secretary of the Traditions Committee, and the Palace Archivist, Ms ‘Ami Latu, are interested in having the holdings of the Palace Archives and the records of the Traditions Committee microfilmed in order to insure them against deterioration and loss. Mr Vaea stated that the records of both the Palace and the Traditions Committee are not public and access to them must remain under direct Tongan control. The microfilming therefore cannot be done as a Pambu project since copies of the microfilms could not be distributed to Pambu members. The Australian High Commissioner, Mr Andrew Mullins, said that he would do whatever he could to support an application to fund such a worthwhile project.
Wendy Pond had asked Pambu to locate the set of Koe Makaasini a Koliji (the magazine published by Tupou College in the 1890’s which recorded much Tongan traditional history) possibly held at the Archives of the Catholic Diocese of Tonga, Nuku’alofa. Sister Bernadette, who is now in charge of the Archives inspected its catalogue and reported that she could not locate Koe Makaasini a Koliji in the Archives.
Wendy Pond had also asked Pambu to seek permission to microfilm the Veikune genealogy. She wrote that the genealogy is required because Veikune is a Vava’u title and the absence of Vava’u genealogical records is proving a difficulty for historians attempting to reconstruct Malaspina’s visit in 1793 and to give an account of the chiefs who opposed the Tongatapu chiefs during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Mr Vaea said that the Traditions Committee would consider an application from Pambu to film the Veikune genealogy, but that he was not sympathetic to the proposal as it would remove access to the record from Tongan control. He emphasised that all researchers wishing to have access to the holdings of the Palace Archives and of the Tonga Traditions Committee should, in the first instance, apply to the Tonga Traditions Committee in writing.
In March the Bureau continued filming the archives of the Fiji Trades Union Congress in Suva: 16 more reels were made (a total of 26 reels) . The focus was on industrial files and reports, such as: Tripartite Forum, 1977-1986; wage and salary freezes, 1984-1986 & 1988; the Garment Manufacturing Industry Tribunal, 1986; and the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Vatukoula Gold Mine, 1995. Files on some of the FTUC’s key affiliates were filmed, including unions covering mine workers, factory and commercial workers, port workers, sugar workers, hotel and catering employees, pastoral employees, nurses, oil workers, airport and airline workers. Minutes of the FTUC Women’s Wing, 1983-1992, were also filmed. Added to the FTUC minutes and political files copied last year, these microfilms provide a major research resource for scholars studying the industrial and political history of Fiji, particularly in the period 1960-1990.
A third and last stage of this project may be considered for 1997. It would aim to film some of the international files of the FTUC, which had a strong part in the activities of the Pacific Trade Union Forum, and further affiliate files.
The Bureau began microfilming archives of the Methodist Church in Fiji held at the National Archives of Fiji in Suva in March. On the advice of Andrew Thornley and Albury Parke, some of the oldest and most fragile of the Church’s archives were selected for filming: Fiji District circuit reports, 1878-1898; Lakemba Station (Lau Circuit) account book, 1835-1845; annual reports of the Somosomo Circuit, 1839-1859, Nadi Circuit, 1848-1856, and Viwa Circuit, 1840-1858; and the Swanston papers on the Ra and Ba military campaigns of 1873. Only 5 reels were made, because of their condition, the originals require very careful handling, and filming in the National Archives is only possible during office hours.
It is proposed that this project continue over the next few years. Dr Andrew Thornley has offered to advise on selection of material for the next round of filming. Any other advice on research requirements for papers of the Methodist Church in Fiji is welcome.
The theses submitted from 1968 till 1993 have now been filmed. Pambu filmed the theses submitted 1968-1982 (PMB 1084/reels1-18) in September 1995. The remainder of the project was contracted out to Mr Nemani Vanua who supplied reels 19-23 in November. In Suva, in March 1996, Mr Vanua supplied Pambu with reels 24-31. Pambu also made two further reels (32 and 33). This completes the filming of the theses submitted to 1993 and closes the project for the time being. Pascoes have reported, however, that there are some problems with reel 25 which may have to be re-filmed by the Bureau in due course. Detailed reel lists are available from the Bureau.
Now known as the Council of Pacific Education (COPE), the Council is the peak regional body of Pacific teachers’ trade unions. The current General Secretary is the Hon Krishna Datt MP. The material filmed consists of minutes and related papers of annual meetings of the Council, 1984-1994; various reports, papers and speeches documenting the activities of affiliated teacher unions in the Islands, 1986-1994; and files on the CPTO Women’s Network, 1989-1993.
Archives of the Fiji Independent News Service are continuing to be filmed in the Pambu office. Dr Bill Gammage has provided the Bureau with Craig Symons’ patrol and native local government survey reports of the Minj Sub-District, Western Highlands District of PNG, 1960-1961, which have been filmed at PMB 1090. Mrs Margaret Henderson has agreed to allow filming of the papers of her father, T. N. Simpson, who was a Methodist missionary in Rabaul and New Hanover, 1936-1942. Mrs Gwenyth Fardon has invited Pambu to film papers of her husband, Ian Fardon, a Methodist missionary at Boroko, Ela and Rabaul, 1963-c.1973. The papers include annotated photographs of mission and other activities in Rabaul, 1916-1932, entrusted to Mr Fardon by Lida Tonkin, a nurse who worked in New Britain and New Ireland. Dr Darryl Tryon has handed over business and family papers, 1899-1935, of Adolphus Zeitler, a planter based on Api (Ringdove Bay) in the New Hebrides. They include extensive correspondence from Tibby Hagen, 1903-1919, further business and family correspondence to 1933, including copies of two desparate letters from R.J. Fletcher in Sydney (Asterisk, Isles of Illusion) trying to make arrangements for the care of his son. The papers also include correspondence of Lizzie Zeitler (formerly Lizzie Facio) and a fragmentary diary, or journal, partly kept by her.
Apart from completing microfilming the archives of the Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete, to be filmed in June, the main Pambu projects for the remainder of the year are aimed at Solomon Islands, including post-war newspapers, and archives relating to the crisis in Bougainville. Pambu is also planning some work in Port Moresby on early PNG Trades Union Congress archives and research records of the PNG National Fisheries Authority.