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New Ireland Niu Ailan (Tok Pisin) | |
|---|---|
 Location of New Ireland inPapua New Guinea | |
| Colony ofGerman Empire | 3 November 1884 |
| Australian occupation | 17 September 1914 |
| Mandate ofAustralia | 1920/21 |
| Union with the Territory of Papua | 1 July 1949 |
| Province of Papua New Guinea | 9 September 1975 |
| Capital and largest city | Kavieng |
| Administration | 10 local level government areas |
| Government | |
| • Type | Constitutional monarchy Parliamentary democracy |
| • Body | New Ireland Provincial Government |
| • Governor | Walter Schnaubelt |
| • Deputy Governor | Sammy Missen |
| Legislature | Parliament of New IrelandLegislative Assembly (10 seats) |
| Federal representation | National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
|
| Area | |
| • Land | 9,557 km2 (3,690 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,340 m (7,680 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 243,035 |
| • Rank | 18th |
| • Density | 25.43/km2 (65.86/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 6th |
| Demonym | New Irelander |
| Time zone | UTC+10 (PGT) |
| ISO 3166 code | PG-NIK |
| HDI (2019) | 0.598[2] medium ·4th of 22 |
New Ireland Province, formerlyNew Mecklenburg (German:Neu-Mecklenburg), andNova Hibernia, is the northeasternmostprovince ofPapua New Guinea.
The largest island of the province isNew Ireland.
Also part of the province are numerous smaller islands, includingSaint Matthias Group (Mussau,Emirau),New Hanover,Djaul,Tabar Group (Tabar,Tatau,Simberi),Lihir,Tanga Group (Malendok, Boang) andFeni Islands (Ambitle,Babase) commonly called Anir Islands.
The land area of the province is around 9,560 km2 (3,690 sq mi). The sea area within theExclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of New Ireland Province is around 230,000 km2 (89,000 sq mi).
In the early days of theFrench Revolution while searching for a lost scientific expedition the vessel La Recherche passed by New Ireland. On board was the prominent botanistJacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière who noted in his journal fine stands ofteak (Tectona grandis) trees growing at the southern end of the island. This marks the easternmost occurrence of teak, an important timber tree that extends naturally fromIndia toThailand on the Asian mainland and also is present onJava in the Indonesian archipelago.
There have been at least three waves ofmigration into New Ireland over the last 40,000 years. TheLapita pottery culture was present around 3,300 years ago.
Chinese and South-East Asian contact appears to have been longstanding, though the evidence is thin.
Dutch explorers made the first European contact in 1616. It was initially believed by Europeans to be part ofNew Britain, but the British explorerPhilip Carteret established in 1767 that the island was physically separate, and gave it the nameNova Hibernia, Latin for 'New Ireland'.
In the 1870s and 1880s,Marquis de Rays, a French nobleman, attempted to establish a French colony on the island calledLa Nouvelle France. He sent four ill-fated expeditions to the island, the most notable of which was the third attempt, now known simply as theDe Rays Expedition, which caused the death of 123 of the 350 or so settlers.[3]
Missionary activity did not begin until 1877, and New Ireland was colonised byGermany in 1886 under the nameNeu-Mecklenburg, as part of the German partition comprising the northern half of present-day Papua New Guinea.
Blackbirding, the removal, often by force, of local young men to work on plantations in northern Australia and other Pacific islands, was widespread in New Ireland in the late 19th century, especially fromLihir Island and theTanga Islands.
Australia took control in 1914, in the early stages ofWorld War I, and renamed the islandNew Ireland after the island ofIreland. It became part of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea declared in 1921 by the League of Nations and administered by Australia.
DuringWorld War II, New Ireland was occupied by Japanese forces from January 1942 to September 1945.
Australian colonial administration continued until Papua New Guinea became independent in September 1975.
The core of New Ireland's economy is agriculture, livestock, and forestry and marine products.[4] Additionally, there is significant gold mining activity, particularly in Lihir and Simberi.[4]
The population during the year 2000 census was 118,350 people, the vast majority of whom (about 90%) live in small rural villages. The population is very young, with a median age of 18.7 years. Over 40% of the population is under the age of 15 years, whereas only 3% is above 65 years old.[5][full citation needed]
The provincial capital isKavieng, located on the main island's northern tip.Namatanai is another small town two-thirds of the way along the island. TheBoluminski Highway runs down the east coast, linking the two towns.
Around twentylanguages are spoken in New Ireland, and the number ofdialects and subdialects totals perhaps 45. All are in theNew Ireland languages group within theAustronesian language family, except for onelanguage isolate,Kuot.
New Ireland, like much ofPapua New Guinea, has a mixture of the old and the new: traditional cultural practices ("custom") are widespread and almost universally respected, yet society is changing as a result ofchurch activity,urbanisation, and various aspects of global contemporary culture making their mark.
Probably the most famous cultural system of New Ireland is "Malagan", aNalik word for an ancient and revered set of practices and ceremonies practised throughout much of the main island. Malagan is also an art where the dead are remembered through the various depictions that are carved on Malagan masks. The Malagan masks have a symbolic meaning as the dead must be remembered through the masks and ceremonies. They are the practical means of capturing the spirits of recent dead relatives or clan members. During the colonial era, significant quantities of Malagan masks were collected by European administrators and can be seen in museums all over Europe.
Each province in Papua New Guinea has one or more districts, and each district has one or more Local Level Government (LLG) areas. Forcensus purposes, the LLG areas are subdivided into wards and those into census units.[6]
The province was governed by a decentralised provincial administration, headed by a Premier, from 1977 to 1995. Following reforms taking effect that year, the national government reassumed some powers, and the role of Premier was replaced by the position of Governor, to be held by the winner of the province-wide seat in theNational Parliament of Papua New Guinea.[7][8]
| Premier | Term |
|---|---|
| Robert Seeto | 1977–1986 |
| Pedi Anis | 1987–1990 |
| Demas Kavuvu | 1990–1993 |
| Samson Gila | 1993–1995 |
| Governor | Term |
|---|---|
| Wilson Peni | 1995–1997 |
| Paul Tohian | 1997–2002 |
| Ian Ling-Stuckey | 2002–2007 |
| Julius Chan | 2007–2025 |
| Walter Schnaubelt | 2025–present |
The province and each district are represented by a Member of theNational Parliament. There is one provincialelectorate, and each district is an open electorate.
| Electorate | Member |
|---|---|
| New Ireland Provincial | Julius Chan |
| Kavieng Open | Ian Ling-Stuckey |
| Namatanai Open | Walter Schnaubelt |
Media related toNew Ireland Province at Wikimedia Commons| National | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
