French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brotherson has called on Pacific nations to deepen regional cooperation to withstand mounting global instability, repeating his insistence that the islands must strengthen ties with neighbours such as New Zealand to boost resilience to external shocks. The appeal came after Brotherson met with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters during Peters’ visit to French Polynesia, a meeting both leaders described as an unusually candid and constructive conversation between Pacific neighbours.
“When we see the turmoil in the world, it’s a reminder to us, as all the Pacific Island nations, that our first and foremost vicinity is our region,” Brotherson told PMN News. “We have to increase cooperation between ourselves to make us more resilient to outside crises.” Brotherson, who has led the territory since 2023 and previously represented French Polynesia’s third constituency in the French National Assembly from 2017, outlined practical areas for collaboration including climate adaptation, maritime and air connectivity, digital infrastructure and economic development.
Winston Peters described the talks as “a very good, quite unique discussion,” saying the meeting was emblematic of why New Zealand must elevate its relationships in the Pacific. “Where in the world would you sit down like that, with a President, and have a friendly New Zealand-type discussion, or Pacific-type discussion? It’s pretty special,” Peters said, adding that New Zealand should regard the Pacific not as a backyard but “our front yard.”
Brotherson used the meeting to flag deepening geopolitical competition in the region, particularly between the United States and China, and stressed that French Polynesia seeks to avoid aligning with major powers. “We don’t want to align with anyone. I mean, either China or the U.S,” he said. “We want to be able to discuss with everyone and to have relationships, be it cultural or economic relationships with everyone.” His comments echo wider concerns across the Pacific about intensified diplomatic, development and security engagement from both China and Western allies.
Climate change remains central to Brotherson’s regional agenda. He highlighted the vulnerability of the Tuamotu archipelago — the world’s largest chain of coral atolls within French Polynesia — where salination of freshwater and coastal erosion are already threatening local livelihoods on atolls such as Rangiroa and Fakarava. “Water management is going to be a real issue in the upcoming years related to climate change,” he said, noting that these communities face the same pressures as low-lying Pacific states like Tuvalu.
On political status, Brotherson reiterated support for a gradual, carefully managed move toward greater sovereignty. French Polynesia currently enjoys a high degree of autonomy while France retains control over defence, currency and aspects of foreign policy. Brotherson said economic resilience will be the precondition for any further independence and suggested the territory could achieve political sovereignty within 10 to 15 years if it strengthens economic interdependencies and builds a more robust economy.
This latest round of diplomacy underlines how French Polynesia is positioning itself at the intersection of climate vulnerability, regional cooperation and global strategic competition. By pressing for closer Pacific partnerships while insisting on non-alignment and a phased path to sovereignty, Brotherson is seeking to chart an independent course that balances local priorities with the changing geopolitical dynamics of the South Pacific.
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