Renaud Mahé never planned to be the “captain of the ship” at a hotel by the turquoise waters of New Caledonia’s Anse Vata Bay.
After leaving France and working in hotels throughout Asia and Australia, he and his wife settled in the French territory, where they raised two children.
But on May 13 last year, Mr Mahé found himself responsible for 200 people stranded at the Chateau Royal Beach Resort and Spa during violent civil unrest that erupted in the capital, Nouméa.
>”All of a sudden, everything collapsed,”
he said.
“You are the captain of the ship, so you have to make decisions for your family, your staff, your guests, for the asset of [the hotel] owners,” he said.
In the chaotic weeks that followed, Mr Mahé helped guests return safely home.
It also left a trail of economic carnage: destroyed businesses, job losses, and a weak economy.
The territory’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) said the crisis had created a “climate of insecurity and instability”.
Nouméa’s international airport, which is managed by the CCI, released migration figures earlier this year showing a net 10,700 people departed the territory in 2024.
While it’s unclear whether the departures are permanent, the number is five times the average for recent years, and could signal a dramatic fall in population for a territory of 270,000.
The outflow of people — most of them French nationals — has created other problems.
A shortage of doctors and nurses has left health services struggling to meet demand, and the CCI said the departures have dragged on the economy.
There are hopes New Caledonia is turning a corner, as political parties and French government officials make a long-awaited return to talks on the territory’s future.
But while some French nationals are waiting to see whether discussions lead to lasting peace before they return, others say their decision to leave is final.
sanity_rejecter on
the sun shall set on the french empire too i guess
Steamed_Clams_ on
If you can’t win independence with three referendums that are insanely stacked in your favour than it’s time to give up the dream and try and make the best of the situation that you have, and considering how impoverished the rest of the Pacific Islands, particularly Melanesia, staying with France would be a guarantor of long term stability and prosperity.
Who knows maybe Donald Trump will decide that he wants to annex New Caledonia.
3 Comments
!ping FRANCE&AUS
# Thousands leave New Caledonia in civil unrest, as long recovery awaits those staying
By [Doug Dingwall](https://www.abc.net.au/news/doug-dingwall/103535060), [Seni Iasona](https://www.abc.net.au/radio/people/seni-iasona/103388322) in Nouméa and [Gabriella Marchant](https://www.abc.net.au/news/gabriella-marchant/10513948)
Fri 28 Mar
Renaud Mahé never planned to be the “captain of the ship” at a hotel by the turquoise waters of New Caledonia’s Anse Vata Bay.
After leaving France and working in hotels throughout Asia and Australia, he and his wife settled in the French territory, where they raised two children.
But on May 13 last year, Mr Mahé found himself responsible for 200 people stranded at the Chateau Royal Beach Resort and Spa during violent civil unrest that erupted in the capital, Nouméa.
>”All of a sudden, everything collapsed,”
he said.
“You are the captain of the ship, so you have to make decisions for your family, your staff, your guests, for the asset of [the hotel] owners,” he said.
In the chaotic weeks that followed, Mr Mahé helped guests return safely home.
But with New Caledonia [empty of tourists](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-30/new-caledonia-tourism-civil-unrest-travel-noumea/104026412), Mr Mahé was out of work and the hotel’s owning company asked him to move on.
He and his family were among the nearly 11,000 people who left the territory in 2024.
Months of violence, which [ignited over attempted electoral reforms](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-18/new-caledonia-unrest-riots-referendum/103861204), led to 13 deaths and deepened divisions in New Caledonia over the question of independence from France.
It also left a trail of economic carnage: destroyed businesses, job losses, and a weak economy.
The territory’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) said the crisis had created a “climate of insecurity and instability”.
Nouméa’s international airport, which is managed by the CCI, released migration figures earlier this year showing a net 10,700 people departed the territory in 2024.
While it’s unclear whether the departures are permanent, the number is five times the average for recent years, and could signal a dramatic fall in population for a territory of 270,000.
The outflow of people — most of them French nationals — has created other problems.
A shortage of doctors and nurses has left health services struggling to meet demand, and the CCI said the departures have dragged on the economy.
There are hopes New Caledonia is turning a corner, as political parties and French government officials make a long-awaited return to talks on the territory’s future.
But while some French nationals are waiting to see whether discussions lead to lasting peace before they return, others say their decision to leave is final.
the sun shall set on the french empire too i guess
If you can’t win independence with three referendums that are insanely stacked in your favour than it’s time to give up the dream and try and make the best of the situation that you have, and considering how impoverished the rest of the Pacific Islands, particularly Melanesia, staying with France would be a guarantor of long term stability and prosperity.
Who knows maybe Donald Trump will decide that he wants to annex New Caledonia.