‘Missed opportunity’ that Christopher Luxon isn't going to Pacific Islands Forum

Foreign policy experts are criticising the decision of prime minister-elect Christopher Luxon not to attend the Pacific Islands Forum as disappointing and a missed opportunity.

Christopher Luxon had expressed his wishes to attend the Forum in the Cook Islands next week, but yesterday confirmed he will be sending someone else.

“I think the reality is, with the final results coming through, that I won’t be able to leave on Wednesday morning because my priority is to form a government.

“So what we will do is we will send Gerry Brownlee, who’ll be accompanied by Carmel Sepuloni who will lead the efforts for New Zealand.”

Griffith Asia Institute Pacific Hub project lead Tess Newton Cain says although the government hasn’t been established yet, some things are a given.

“We know that he’s going to be the Prime Minister and generally it is considered quite disappointing when the leader of the government is not there.

“If he doesn’t go, it’s a missed opportunity because this a great opportunity for him to meet with a very significant group of leaders all at once to get some of those personal relationships established that we know are so important when it comes to doing diplomatic work in the Pacific."

Newton Cain says because Pacific representation is so low in the current National Party, Luxon needs to think carefully about how Pacific relationships are prioritised.

But former National Party MP Anae Arthur Anae thinks Pacific countries will be "mature" in their reaction to Luxon not going to the Forum.

He told Pacific Days: "They realise we've just had an election. He's just got to become the prime minister, he's just got the numbers now. He has to spend his time to form his government."

Representation at a regional level

Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies director Steven Ratuva says sending senior MPs like Sepuloni and Brownlee is a wise move by Luxon.

“He has never dealt with international relations. Having that bridge between past and present is important … I think it’s more to do with continuity and making sure the new incoming officials and leaders socialise properly into the politics of the region.”

The National Party is still the opposition until they’ve been sworn in, so Ratuva says the party will be banking on Sepuloni’s existing relationships in the region, while they still can.

"Because Sepuloni is from the Pacific, she had a big tour around the Pacific, a successful one. Very popular among the leaders. The incoming government would want to make use of that connection and ride on top of the popularity.”

“Once they get themselves established they'll turn to Sepuloni and say, 'Out you go. You've served your term'."

Representing the opposition, Brownlee is a veteran National MP and has previously been the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Defence, both key portfolios in understanding decisions and developments in the region.

Victoria University senior lecturer Dr Iati Iati says it would be a good look for New Zealand if Luxon could attend.

“For his future relations with the region it would be important for him to attend and make those connections as soon as possible given the deficit that New Zealand currently has in the Pacific in terms of his influence.”