WELLINGTON — New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has given Pacific leaders a cautious vote of confidence over travel to this year’s Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, saying on April 16 there is “no immediate risk” that fuel pressures will stop leaders getting to the meeting — but stressing Wellington stands ready to help if the situation deteriorates.
Speaking to media, Luxon said New Zealand currently sees “no risk of any fuel disruption for us” while adding that August — when the Forum leaders’ meeting is due to be held — remains several months away. “At this point we don’t see any risk of that. There is no risk to any fuel disruption for us and that’s a good thing. But August is a long way away,” he said, noting that so far no Pacific leaders have asked for assistance with travel arrangements.
The reassurance follows similar downplaying of immediate disruption from Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who visited Aotearoa last week. Whipps told Pacific Mornings he did not expect the current fuel pressures to affect attendance at the Forum and expressed gratitude for partners prepared to help transport leaders if needed. “I don’t think that [the fuel crisis] should affect [leaders] coming to PIF but we’re very grateful to New Zealand, Australia and the United States who are willing to go around and pick up leaders and bring them to PIF,” he said.
Wellington’s statement is being framed as a pragmatic contingency amid continuing volatility in global fuel markets linked to the Middle East crisis, which regional sources say is already pushing up prices and straining supply chains to the Pacific. The vulnerability of Pacific travel was underlined by officials who note many leaders must rely on complex, limited air connections through hubs such as Guam, Japan and the Philippines — routes that are susceptible to higher jet fuel costs and reduced services. New Zealand has previously stepped in to support leader travel, transporting delegations to the Forum in Tonga in 2024 and again to Honiara last September.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters emphasised the broader stakes for the region, saying the upcoming meetings in Palau and New Zealand are “an important moment” as Pacific countries confront a challenging global strategic environment. “In this context, Pacific countries best advance our shared interests when we work together, showing strength through unity,” Peters said in a government release.
The update from Wellington arrives as the Pacific continues to prepare for a packed diplomatic calendar and mounting domestic pressures. Separate Pacific developments flagged on April 16 include Tonga’s launch of a new five-year multi-hazard strategy aimed at strengthening risk communication and community engagement — a move officials say will shore up local resilience to storms, climate events and other shocks. Environmental concerns also remain high on the regional agenda: a recent study has ranked the Hawaiian monk seal as the marine mammal most at risk of extinction from plastic pollution, underscoring the marine-protection and waste management issues often discussed at Forum gatherings.
For now, Pacific governments expect leaders to attend the Palau Forum as planned, but the message from Wellington is clear: while travel appears secure today, contingency planning and international cooperation remain essential should fuel pressures worsen in the months before the meeting.
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