Why did land ownership become an important issue in Vanuatu after World War II?

After World War II, land ownership emerged as a central issue in Vanuatu because more than one-third of the territory—then known as the New Hebrides—remained under the ownership of foreigners.12

This high level of foreign land control served as a primary catalyst for local political initiatives and movements seeking sovereignty. The significance of this issue is deeply rooted in the culture of the ni-Vanuatu people, for whom land is far more than an economic resource; it is the physical embodiment of their metaphysical connection to the past and a fundamental aspect of their identity.123

Ultimately, this focus on reclaiming traditional territory became so central to the national consciousness that the country's first parliamentary majority party, led by Father Walter Lini, was named the Vanua’aku Pati ("Our Land Party"). Following independence in 1980, the constitution was established to guarantee that land could not be alienated from its indigenous custom owners.1234