Winston Peters boosts Pacific lobbying in whistle-stop tour

Wednesday, 7 February 2024

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters is heading to the Pacific.

Winston Peters is embarking on his second trip to the Pacific since being sworn in as foreign affairs minister and will travel to Tonga, Cook Islands and Samoa amid the growing US-China rivalry.

Peters left Auckland on Tuesday night, fresh from a controversial Waitangi Day speech where he was booed by attendees over government policies many have perceived as anti-Māori.

He is expected to speak with leaders about the intensifying geopolitical competition between China and the US in the region, and to renew “the Pacific Reset”, which places a focus on partnership and doing more to tackle the big issues facing the region. He was in Fiji in December.

Both superpowers have been courting Pacific leaders, with the US bolstering its engagement to levels not seen since WWII in the face of a growing Chinese presence.

Peters is also expected to discuss labour mobility issues and the recognised seasonal employers scheme when he meets with leaders. In a statement, he emphasised New Zealand’s “strong and long-standing” relationships in the Pacific.

The National-led government has promised to clamp down on migrant worker exploitation, and is seeking to change immigration settings to let much-needed workers in, without driving down wages.

Peters will meet Tongan Deputy Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu on Wednesday morning, Cook Islands Prime Ministers Mark Brown on Thursday, and Prime Minister of Samoa Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa on Friday, before leaving midday Saturday.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at a meeting in Melbourne.

Visiting Pacific leaders face-to-face has been a priority for Peters, who heavily criticised his predecessor, Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta, for failing to do so. Much of her travel was put off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Peters said New Zealand has close political, economic, and people-to-people ties in Polynesia.

“This trip is an opportunity for New Zealand to continue to strengthen and progress our bilateral cooperation with Tonga, Cook Islands, and Samoa while supporting each country’s respective development goals,” he said.

He spearheaded the Pacific Reset when he was the foreign minister in 2018, and has said the new coalition government would renew this strategy - which set a focus on partnership and doing more to tackle the big issues facing the region.

This includes the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels are threatening many countries in the Pacific, including Tuvalu - a micronation forecast to be completely submerged by the end of the century.