New Zealand’s trouble in paradise
New Zealand is taking too hasty and too abrasive an approach to Pacific islands, putting leadership in the region on edge. We see this in a bungled attempt to visit Kiribati that led to a threat to withdraw aid and in a tense public stand-off with Cook Islands over a looming agreement with China.
In January, Kiribati President Taneti Maamau told New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters he would be unavailable to meet during a trip by Peters to Kiribati. On receiving the news, which came only a week before the scheduled visit, Peters and the New Zealand delegation chose not to meet with another Kiribati representative and instead cancelled the trip.
Shortly after, Peters said New Zealand would review its aid to Kiribati.
While Peters regrets the publicity that the issue has generated, he has continued to stress that accountability works both ways in the Pacific. New Zealand had a responsibility to its taxpayers to ensure international aid is meeting its objectives, he said, adding that ‘the lack of political-level contact makes it very difficult for us to agree on joint priorities’ and ‘deliver good value for money.’
Peters isn’t necessarily wrong. It is hard to deliver support without talking things over at the right levels. But the sudden change in approach was abrasive and has only worsened relations. Other statements from Peters, such as labelling the Pacific ‘our backyard’, come with paternalism.
New Zealand is not alone in its frustration with Kiribati. Australian diplomats have struggled to engage optimally there for quite some time, and Maamau, to focus on domestic issues, suspended international diplomatic visits to the country in the lead up to its elections last year. Since his re-election, Maamau appears to have doubled down, delegating bilateral engagements to other ministers.
Australia recently faced a choice similar to New Zealand’s. However, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles stuck with a plan to travel to Kiribati to deliver a patrol boat, even without an opportunity to meet Maamau. Australia ‘remains committed to its longstanding partnership,’ he said. Commitment through frustration is a healthy way to mend partnerships.
Australia also faces the challenge of justifying spending in the region to its taxpayers, particularly after the announcement of a $600 million deal to set up a Papua New Guinea team in the National Rugby League deal. But in that case, it is justifying additional support, whereas Peters has raised the possibility of taking away existing support that is highly valuable for the 120,000 people of Kiribati.
There is some concern that if the relationship continues to sour, New Zealand will be pushing Kiribati towards China. Beijing has an embassy in the country and police on the ground providing training and other assistance. While New Zealand has provided more than $90 million in aid since 2021, its support remains appreciated but not irreplaceable. Following through on threats to step away will only take New Zealand out of the contest, placing more pressure on Australia and the US to pick up the slack before China does. New Zealand should show patience and commitment to its partnership with Kiribati.
Now, New Zealand’s attention has shifted to a closer member of their Pacific family: the self-governing country of Cook Islands, which is in free association with New Zealand.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says he will visit Beijing this week to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership with China and will not need New Zealand ‘sitting in the room’. Brown said he had assured New Zealand ‘over and over’ that there would be no surprises in relation to security and that Cook Islands would announce the details of the agreement publicly once it was signed.
The country’s free association with New Zealand means that the nation conducts its own affairs, but New Zealand assists in defence, disaster relief and foreign affairs. We don’t yet know whether the strategic partnership agreement with China will relate to these subjects. Brown has reiterated that New Zealand has its own comprehensive partnership with China and didn’t consult the Cook Islands when agreeing to it, nor did he expect it to.
Again, in engaging with Cook Islands, New Zealand’s abrasive public response has caused friction. Last week, a Cook Islands proposal to create its own passports was abandoned after New Zealand, in Brown’s words, ‘bared its teeth in response’.
New Zealand needs to be cautious in its responses to Pacific island actions.
Even if the deal between the Cook Islands and China is revealed as disagreeable, its intentions might not ultimately be achieved. When details are available, New Zealand should encourage community consultation. It can still express concerns fairly and detail why certain objectives might affect its relationship with Cook Islands.
Stubbornness will not aid engagement with the Pacific family. Increasing support, not withdrawing it, will demonstrate what can be gained from greater partnership and trust.