NZ should be backing Pacific nations on climate change - Greens/Labour

The Opposition says New Zealand should be supporting Pacific efforts to mitigate climate change, not questioning how it is caused.

This follows comments by deputy Prime Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Tonga this week, where he suggested we shouldn’t panic about current weather events which are part of a pattern that's been happening for “thousands and thousands” of years.

“There’s always been climate change, our job is to help, as much as we can, our resilience against it, whilst we’re transitioning to a new age," he said.

“There have been massive changes down over the millennium. There was a mini ice age in the 1600s, we all understand that.

“So let's not panic and say that we can't get on top of it, our job is to ensure we've got a national solution that helps us towards that.”

Vaovasamanaia also said there were a number of Pacific Islands growing, but on his return to New Zealand on Tuesday reiterated that human activity influenced climate change.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon quickly agreed that climate change is influenced by people.

“I believe in human-induced climate change, for sure.”

But Green Party Pacific Peoples spokesperson, Teanau Tuiono, said these comments weren't helpful when dealing with the issues Pacific leaders faced.

“I support the scientific consensus climate change is real, we need to take climate action. Sea levels are rising and the UN secretary-general is correct that we need to take climate action seriously and really listen to our relatives who are out there on the Pacific Islands on the front lines of climate change.

“It's important that when we go from places like New Zealand, a Western country, that we support what's being said out there in the Pacific and support the scientific consensus that humans are causing climate change.”

Watch Green MP Teanau Tuiono's interview below.

Labour MP Tangi Utikere said the comments from the deputy prime minister amid actions from the coalition government on mining were insulting and reflected badly on New Zealand.

“We all have families who are back in the islands. They live, breathe and experience the devastating impacts of climate change.

“To have Winston Peters as our Foreign Minister basically making these comments that he did and then for the Prime Minister to double down and basically talk about the oil and gas exploration move is just unbelievable."

Siding with superpowers

Speaking to William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Tuiono said New Zealand was walking a fine political line and Luxon needed to “rein himself in” when it comes to global negotiations.

“When I see him on the international stage, he just doesn't seem to be advocating for our business.

“Whatever the Americans want, he gives it to them. I've never seen him disagree with them, whether it's AUKUS, whether it's a number of other other matters as well.”

Pacific Islands Forum leaders with Tonga's Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Mataʻaho Tukuʻaho. Photo/Joseph Safiti

Economic resilience is another key talking point at the Forum, with countries looking at development opportunities and other income streams.

Tuiono said New Zealand’s influence was important when tourism-dependent countries such as the Cook Islands were looking for other revenue streams.

“What New Zealand should be doing is helping to support that, to get that balance right, instead of falling in lock and step with what the mining companies want.”

Tuiono said there were competing interests for the Pacific, and New Zealand’s strength was in diplomacy.

“We can't out-shoot the Americans and no one can out-spend China at the moment, so we've got to use the skills that we have, and those relationships are really, really important.

“The way that we best support ourselves is by supporting the Pacific.

“What happens in our neighbourhood is good for everybody else that lives in that neighbourhood.”

Watch Labour MP Tangi Utikere's interview.