Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Minister Carmel Sepuloni will lead a Pacific Mission to Solomon Islands, Fiji and Tonga – the first to be undertaken since COVID-19.
Minister Sepuloni says, “The Pacific region remains our Government’s foreign policy priority, and that includes continuing to strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand’s relationship with our Pacific whānau.”
The Deputy Prime Minister will be accompanied by Minister for Pacific Peoples Barbara Edmonds, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw and a delegation including Parliamentary and NGO representatives, iwi, business and community leaders and Pacific
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first Pacific Mission undertaken since 2019.
Deputy Prime Minister Sepuloni says, “I’m excited that alongside being able to reconnect with the Pacific face-to-face, we can also showcase the breadth and depth of this reconnection, our engagement and our leadership in the Pacific region.”
“With a focus on climate change and a strong delegation representing all pockets of our country, our message on the Pacific Mission is clear – we’re committed to working together in partnership, to tackle the challenges our region faces like climate change, cost of living pressures, global inflation and heightened strategic competition.
The Pacific Mission will depart for Honiara on Sunday 16 April and return on Friday 21 April.
