PNG, Bougainville holding talks at Burnham

Photo: Autonomous Bougainville Government

By Don Wiseman of RNZ

Talks between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville to decide on issues surrounding an independence referendum are to be held at Burnham military camp near Christchurch this weekend.

The moderator in the talks is former New Zealand governor-general Sir Jerry Mateparae, who sought to have the discussion at Burnham where critical talks in 1997 helped end the Bougainville civil war.

The Burnham consultations will be conducted by Sir Jerry with the support of United Nations officials.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters said the government will provide the venue and environment necessary for substantive discussions on Bougainville's political future.

It is the third round of talks to try and resolve how the 2019 referendum results are tabled in the PNG parliament.

The Bougainville government is strongly in support of independence from PNG and expects to achieve that status by 2027.

Peters said reaching a mutually agreed outcome is important for Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, and the wider region, "is upholding the integrity of the Bougainville Peace Agreement, to which New Zealand is a witnessing signatory".