New Zealand’s Associate Foreign Minister Aupito William Sio will arrive in Fiji today to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Suva.

Mr Sio is attending at the request of Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, who is unable to travel to the meeting after contracting COVID-19.

Minister Mahuta had visited Fiji in March this year.

In a statement released by the New Zealand High Commission in Suva yesterday, Ms Mahuta said the Pacific Islands Forum is at the heart of New Zealand’s engagement with the region.

“It is the pre-eminent institutional structure for addressing Pacific priorities, and talks with the PIF Secretariat were a priority during my visit to Fiji in March,” Ms Mahuta said.

“This Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which precedes the Leaders’ Forum comes at a critical time. The most pressing security and economic challenges for the Pacific are from the effects of climate change.”

“Aotearoa New Zealand stands alongside the Pacific to mitigate and adapt to the impact of sea-level rise. Half of our $1.3 billion climate finance commitments announced late last year are for the Pacific.”

“We also welcome the Pacific- led solution that will see Micronesian states represented at the Forum this year, and acknowledge the leadership of the Fiji Government and the PIF Secretariat to secure this outcome.”

Associate Minister Sio said he looked forward to the opportunity to talanoa with his counterparts from across the Blue Pacific Continent during the course of the meeting next week.

“We are looking forward to reconnecting kanohi ki te kanohi, face to face, with other Pacific ministers and leaders, after disruptions to previous meetings caused by COVID-19. This will be the first in- person meeting of Forum Foreign Ministers since 2019,” Mr Sio said.

He said other pressing issues for the Forum include regional responses to broader security challenges, including maritime surveillance and illegal fishing, support for economic resilience, managing the COVID-19 pandemic, and responding to natural disasters and emergencies.

NZ PM

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be one of the leaders at the the Pacific Islands Forum meeting next week.

Speaking at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Thursday, Ms Ardern said the Pacific Islands Forum  was critical in resolving regional problems and local security issues should be resolved locally.

“New Zealand is committed to the Pacific Islands Forum as the vehicle for addressing regional challenges,” Ms Ardern said.

According to Reuters, Ms Ardern said: “We have a strong commitment to supporting broader ambitions for our regions security,” she said.

“Importantly we see local security challenges being resolved locally, with Pacific Islands Forum Members’ security being addressed first and foremost by the Forum family.”

RNZ Pacific reported that her speech largely focused on New Zealand’s independent foreign policy approach in the face of an “increasingly difficult” global environment, while highlighting a regional pact being worked on as the Pacific Island Forum nears.

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