Firefighters rushed to the site in Nouville outside Noumea but failed to prevent the building's destruction.
The public prosecutor said a 29-year-old man Kanak was arrested and confessed to using a lighter to set the structure ablaze.
The man was reportedly upset with Kanak leaders over a lack of support to get electricity to a nearby shantytown.
He was reportedly also drunk at the time
He is due to be tried on Tuesday and risks to be jailed for up to 10 years.
