New Zealand has not done enough for the Pacific - international law expert

An international law expert says the recent visit of the Chinese Premier may have been a warning to New Zealand, as it still remains undecided on AUKUS.

Waikato University Law professor Alexander Gillespie says despite New Zealand and China building on a solid relationship following the visit, much could change depending on future decisions.

“We have to be careful that the differences between us don’t become a chasm. And when he’s [Premier Li] about a chasm, it seemed to me like almost it was a warning that if we don’t make decisions which are friendly to China, we could lose some of the things that we’ve got.”

Premier Li’s visit saw a number of outcomes from the New Zealand-China Leader’s Meeting including visa free exemption for kiwis, export plan of fresh kiwiberry and an invitation for New Zealand leaders to visit China.

Despite the growing relationship between the two countries, Gillespie believes that New Zealand is a pawn in the geopolitical game between China and the US within the Pacific region.

“We've been a player in this game since the end of the 19th century. This is just the latest chapter.

“It's getting increasingly complicated and ever more dangerous. The issue of the Pacific is particularly important because we have, I would argue, an ethical, a cultural, a security and a legal obligation to do more for the Pacific.

“And that's in terms of making sure that the economic, the sustainable, the environmental development of these countries occurs.

“And I think, I would argue, that New Zealand has not done enough in recent decades. In fact, we've almost done too little. And then when other countries have come in and tried to fill that void, sometimes to their own advantage, we start moaning.”

Additionally Gillespie slightly agrees that New Zealand may have lost its way in some parts in the Pacific.

“The problem is that we can overstate the importance and the value of our voice when you're dealing with sometimes countries which aren't just developing.

“They're at least developed, as in like they're very poor. And it's not just about what words you use. It's about what resources you give to these countries.

“For the last three or four decades, the Pacific was a backwater and no one really cared about it. And that has had consequences for a lot of the people and the regions. Now the Pacific is at the forefront.

“Now the leaders of the Pacific get invitations to Beijing, or they get invitations to Washington. They're made to feel very important. They're made to secure deals and favoritism in certain ways.

“And so sometimes you'll find debates in the UN about Taiwan or debates around international law. And our Pacific friends have to make very difficult decisions because their friends expect them to be influenced in one direction or another. For a long time, that didn't exist.

“But now they're being used in a way which is quite unfamiliar. But it has consequences.”