Why did Britain and France create the Anglo-French condominium in Vanuatu?

The Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) was established in 1906 to resolve complex administrative and legal challenges in the region, particularly regarding land titles and the governance of non-British and non-French nationals in an area lacking a centralized native authority or a single European governor.1

Prior to the condominium, the islands were subject to a mixed naval commission established by a convention in 1887. The formal joint administration was created to settle disputes arising from the competing interests of British and French settlers and commercial enterprises, effectively partitioning influence and providing a framework for order where previous consular powers had been limited and largely unenforceable.1