Strengthening ties: Fiji, NZ boost partnership for regional stability and economic growth

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says Fiji and New Zealand are committed to working closely to address challenges in their region.

“New Zealand and Fiji have a crucial partnership in the Pacific,” Peters says after meeting with the Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, in Nadi on Tuesday.

“In these uncertain times, our relationship must benefit our people and the region.”

Peters addressed the media before boarding a flight to Vanuatu on Wednesday.

Both Fiji and New Zealand are small and largely rely on exports. Rabuka and Peters focussed on strengthening their regional and international connections to improve outcomes for their citizens.

They aim to increase trade between Fiji and New Zealand to $2 billion by 2030, and New Zealand has recently made it easier and cheaper for Fijians to visit.

The United States has imposed a 35 per cent tariff on the Fijians, while New Zealand and Australia have lower levies (10 per cent). Peters says Rabuka plans to address these tariff issues with Washington.

Peters, who arrived from Hawaii, also discussed the US' role in the Pacific during the meeting.

“In Hawaii, we saw the US make significant investments in security in our region."

Watch Winston Peters' address at the East-West Center in Honolulu.

Peters says Rabuka has extensive experience in politics and the military and maintains a positive outlook for future cooperation.

The two leaders discussed cooperation on drug trafficking and human smuggling.

Peters says that despite the ongoing challenges, Aotearoa and Fiji are actively working together through police and customs departments to combat these issues more effectively in the Pacific.

"We continued that conversation with Prime Minister Rabuka, emphasising our collaboration on security issues like defence cooperation and tackling drug trafficking and human smuggling.”

Peters acknowledged that the dengue fever outbreaks in Fiji and New Zealand have been persistent issues in the Pacific. More than 100 people, mostly children, have died in Fiji and Tonga in recent months.

More than 100 people, most of them children, have died recently from dengue fever in Tonga and Fiji. Photo/file

While no requests for assistance from Fiji have been made, he says New Zealand is prepared to help when needed.

Peters expressed his condolences at the tragic case involving a Sāmoan child who died from dengue fever in New Zealand. But he adds that specific assistance for the family might not be possible at this point.

Peters and Rabuka also shared ideas on how New Zealand can best support Fiji and the Pacific region’s economic development, stressing the importance of receiving support from other countries with similar values.

Both leaders look forward to the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum in the Solomon Islands, which will focus on key regional issues.

Peters is leading a delegation from different political parties around the Pacific. The delegation has visited Fiji, Tonga, and Hawaii and will be in Vanuatu today.

Winston Peters and Tongan Prime Minister Dr 'Aisake Eke, left, during the Deputy Prime Minister's visit to Nuku'alofa last week. Photo/PMN Digital/Joseph Safiti