New Zealand, deputy Prime Minister, Carmel Sepuloni, along with a 50-strong delegation, including other ministers and community leaders, is visiting Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Fiji. Climate change is expected to be the main topic of discussion. Sepuloni emphasized that NZ’s top priority is the Pacific Island nations, and downplayed the issue of tensions between China and the West. The focus of her visits is to strengthen NZ relationships with nations by engagement.
In Fiji, Sepuloni announced a new partnership framework with the University of the South Pacific (USP) that involves NZ providing $35 million in funding to the USP over the next five years. She emphasized the importance of regional solidarity and highlighted the USP’s reputation for training future leaders in the Pacific.
In the Solomon Islands, she announced a $2.4 million fund for education, training, and employment. Her next stop is Tonga.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Samoa to meet with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and other other senior ministers of the Samoan government. The visit aimed to reaffirm the commitment of NZ and the UK to support Pacific solutions to regional challenges, including climate change, economic resilience and open societies and a free media.
