UK steps up in Pacific with NZ$31m climate funding but questions remain on impact

The United Kingdom has signalled a deeper push into the Pacific, announcing a £14 million (NZ$31 million) for climate resilience projects across the region during a visit by UK Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra.

The funding is aimed at helping Pacific nations deal with rising climate threats - from coastal erosion to extreme weather.

But details on where the money will go, and how it will be delivered, have not yet been confirmed.

Speaking exclusively to PMN News in New Zealand, Malhotra says the support reflects shared priorities.

“That is important because that's part of recognising that the Pacific is at the front line of the climate crisis,” Malhotra says.

“So to do that and to recognise those priorities are in line with the Pacific Island countries' priorities is an important part of that relationship too.”

Listen to Seema Malhotra's full interview below.

Pacific nations have long warned that while climate finance pledges are welcome, what matters most is whether funding turns into real projects that communities can see and use - from stronger sea walls to reliable renewable energy and better disaster protection.

Malhotra did not specify which Pacific countries would receive the funding, what projects would be prioritised, or the delivery timeframe. She also did not outline what accountability or reporting measures would be attached to the package.

But she says the UK’s approach is about long-term partnerships, not short-term engagement.

A member of Labour Co-op, Seema Malhotra has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Feltham and Heston since 2011. Photo/PMN News/Ala Vailala

It already works with Pacific countries through the Commonwealth, development assistance, climate programmes, defence cooperation, and its role as a dialogue partner of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Malhotra pointed to growing UK military and diplomatic activity in the region including visits by HMS Tamar and the deployment of the UK Carrier Strike Group, saying relationships cannot be built from afar.

“This is all part of ensuring the peace, stability of the region and the Pacific that I know is such a priority for Pacific Island countries.

“But also how we make sure that as an international community we are recognising where there can be disproportionate impacts of global crises and where we are acting and working together not short-term and listening in how we respond.”

Malhotra also met with New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters where discussions included Pacific fuel security.

Several Pacific nations have faced pressure from global supply stocks and disruptions to shipping routes linked to the war in Iran.

Seema Malhotra met with NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters in Wellington. Photo/Supplied

“We recognise just as I know the US does and others in the international community that there's only a certain amount of resilience and reserve and that we have to look to supporting countries and our economies through this time,” Malhotra says.

“This is very much an ongoing conversation and very much an ongoing dialogue between international partners.”

On the growing competition for influence in the Pacific, including activity by China, the United States, Australia, and Aotearoa, Malhotra avoided naming any country directly.

But she stressed that Pacific nations must remain in control of their own decisions.

Pacific leaders have repeatedly said climate change, not geopolitics, remains their biggest security concern.

Maholtra said the UK’s goal is to support that priority.

Watch Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters' full interview below.

“It's a priority for me to make sure that we're strengthening our partnerships and our relationships with our Pacific Island countries.

“That's always been important for the United Kingdom and it always will be.”

Malhotra will next travel to Fiji, where she will meet regional leaders and officials from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, before attending the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau later this year.

For Pacific countries, the key question now is whether this renewed UK engagement leads to visible change or adds another layer of promises in an already crowded regional landscape.