WELLINGTON/SUVA — New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Thursday there is no immediate risk to Pacific leaders travelling to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Palau this August, but he warned Wellington is prepared to step in if fuel pressures across the region worsen.
“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,” Luxon told reporters on 16 April, adding that no Pacific leader had yet asked New Zealand for transport assistance. His comments come amid heightened concern across the region about disruptions to fuel and supply chains driven by recent crises in the Middle East, which the United Nations and Pacific officials say are already feeding through to higher oil prices and electricity uncertainty in some island states.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr, who visited New Zealand last week, played down immediate travel concerns and said he did not expect the situation to derail attendance at the Forum. “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,” Whipps told Pacific Mornings.
The PIF leaders meeting, scheduled for August 2026, is the region’s most important political gathering and will require complex travel arrangements for some countries. Many island leaders rely on limited international connections through hubs such as Guam, Japan and the Philippines — routes particularly vulnerable to rising fuel costs and disruptions at the end of stretched supply chains. Luxon and other officials pointed to New Zealand’s past logistical support: Wellington helped transport leaders to the Forum in Tonga in 2024 and again for the Honiara gathering in September 2025.
Domestic consequences are already being felt. Pacific governments and businesses have reported upward pressure on fuel and freight costs in recent weeks; Fiji Airways has adjusted some services amid rising fuel prices, and tourism forecasts for the region have been revised downward as air connectivity becomes more fragile. Earlier reporting in March warned Pacific nations such as Fiji could face higher fuel and food prices as global oil markets incorporated a geopolitical risk premium linked to the Strait of Hormuz and wider Middle East tensions.
New Zealand’s foreign minister, Winston Peters, described the Palau and upcoming New Zealand-hosted meetings as a critical opportunity for Pacific unity in a challenging global strategic environment. “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,” Peters said in a government press release.
Regional preparedness is also developing at national and community levels. Tonga this month launched a five-year multi-hazard strategy for risk communication and community engagement, while United Nations reporting highlighted how supply-chain pressure is translating into electricity uncertainty across some Pacific islands. For now, Luxon and Palau’s president say leaders are expected to make the journey to Palau as planned; with months to go, governments and airlines will be monitoring oil markets and logistical bottlenecks closely and stand ready to provide support if requests are made.
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