Despite their geographic proximity, New Zealand and New Caledonia experienced from the outset quite different forms of colonialism at the hands of Britain and France. However, the history of the two countries also reveals interesting parallels. This article explores some of these similarities and differences and discusses their implications for decolonisation struggles led by the indigenous Kanak and Māori peoples. The study points to differences in how sovereignty was acquired, identifies similarities in the colonial strategies of initial military conquest and land dispossession, and highlights contrasts between the British assimilationist approach in New Zealand and France's segregationist policies in New Caledonia. The article traces the evolution of colonial relations noting that in both countries, the moderate political aspirations of the colonised peoples during the post-war period were jettisoned by a new generation of radical activists starting in the late 1960s. By the mid-1980s, these movements for decolonisation had gained sufficient support to be able to force concessions from the governments of New Zealand and France. It also notes that in 2023, both countries were confronted by attempts by those in power to call into question fundamental aspects of decolonisation which had been widely believed to have been settled for decades, including the issue of whether ongoing dimensions of colonisation should be addressed. The article argues that, although colonisation in New Zealand and New Caledonia took different forms, the current backlash against efforts for decolonisation is once again presenting similar challenges separately yet simultaneously in both countries.