Pitcairn in the Pacific: This remote Pacific island is looking for immigrants – and giving them land

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The Pitcairn Islands are a remote archipelago in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The population? Almost 50 people. Pitcairn, part of the British Overseas Territories, has been trying to attract immigrants for years. Settlers even receive land for free.

You can download the eight-page application form online. Anyone can apply. “You can apply to settle in Pitcairn at any time,” the responsible authority said. “A visit is not necessary.”

“House of dreams”

New migrants receive up to 1,500 square meters of land on a leasehold basis. “New immigrants can design and build the home of their dreams in Pitcairn,” Pitcairn Immigration Services wrote on its website. Anyone who qualifies will also receive a free loan of up to 60,000 New Zealand dollars, the equivalent of almost R32,000, for their first home.

This amount covers the material costs, the authority writes. There is no hardware store on Pitcairn, but building and building permits are “very easy”. “It will take some planning,” they advise, “to get the right materials to the island at the right construction stages, but it is certainly feasible.”

Ship supplies every week

Pitcairn consists of four islands, one of which is inhabited. There is no port for the MV Silver Supporter, which brings in supplies from New Zealand via the French Polynesian town of Mangareva every few weeks. Two old steel ships transport passengers and cargo from the larger ships to one of the most remote islands in the world. Pitcairn’s nearest airport is in Mangareva, 690 kilometers away.

Most people on Pitcairn work for the government in some capacity. Some have multiple civil service jobs at the same time, according to immigration.pn. Otherwise you have to deal with yourself. Go fishing, tend your own garden, live a more modern Robinson Crusoe dream.

You can always count on the help of the few housemates, write the Pitcairn authorities. “Many Pitcairners have good knowledge of carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting and decorating.”

“One of the most isolated islands in the world”

A steep road leads to the only town of Adamstown with a small supermarket, post office and doctor. This is also where most residents live – “although some newer houses have been built on the tip of the island to enjoy the incredible views,” says immigration.pn.

Pitciarn’s electricity generators run from 6am to 10pm, with most residents having solar panels on their roofs.

The inhabitants of the Pitcairn Islands, whose story has also been filmed in countless films, are largely descended from mutineers in the 1790s and a handful of Tahitian women. At the last census in January 2020, Pitcairn had a population of 47. The Pitcairn Administrative Authority calls itself “one of the most isolated islands in the world”.

Source: Blick