WELLINGTON, 16 April 2026 — New Zealand has told Pacific partners there is currently no immediate risk to leaders travelling to the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau this August, but Prime Minister Christopher Luxon warned Canberra and Wellington are prepared to step in if mounting regional fuel pressures worsen.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Luxon said no Forum leader had asked New Zealand for transport or fuel assistance. “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, underlining the Government’s cautious posture as global energy markets remain volatile.
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr., who visited Aotearoa last week, has similarly downplayed immediate threats to attendance. Whipps told Pacific Mornings radio that he did not expect the situation to prevent leaders coming to PIF and expressed gratitude to traditional partners, saying he appreciated “New Zealand, Australia and the United States who are willing to go around and pick up leaders and bring them to PIF.” The Forum leaders meeting is the region’s premier diplomatic gathering, and for many island states travelling to Palau involves complex routings through hubs such as Guam, Japan and the Philippines.
New Zealand has a recent track record of helping with regional travel: Luxon noted Wellington flew leaders into the Forum in Tonga in 2024 and again to Honiara last September. Foreign Minister Winston Peters framed the readiness to assist as part of a broader diplomatic imperative, stressing in a government release that “the region faces a very challenging global strategic environment, and in this context, Pacific countries best advance our shared interests when we work together, showing strength through unity.”
The Prime Minister’s comments come amid broader alarm across the Pacific about spillover effects from the Middle East conflict, which analysts say have driven up crude oil prices, shipping costs and the risk of localized fuel shortages. Pacific governments have issued advisories in recent months warning that price shocks could ripple through island economies dependent on imported fuel. Earlier reporting in March highlighted warnings from Fiji’s consumer watchdog and other authorities about possible spikes in fuel and food costs if global tensions persist.
While Luxon and Palau’s president signal that Forum attendance is expected to proceed as planned, officials say the situation will be monitored closely in the coming months. New Zealand is scheduled to host the Forum leaders meeting next year, and ministers from Wellington say contingency planning remains in place should further supply-chain disruptions emerge.
Other items in the regional bulletin underline the wide-ranging risks now on Pacific leaders’ agenda: Tonga on Thursday launched a five-year multi-hazard strategy for risk communication and community engagement, and a new study cited in the Pacific digest ranked the Hawaiian monk seal as the marine mammal most at risk of extinction from plastic pollution. For now, however, the immediate message from Wellington is one of preparedness rather than alarm — watchful, ready to assist, but expecting leaders to make the journey to Palau this August.
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