New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says there is no immediate risk to Pacific leaders travelling to Palau for this year’s Pacific Islands Forum, but Canberra and Wellington are standing ready to step in if rising fuel pressures worsen travel options across the region.
Speaking to reporters in Wellington on Thursday, Luxon said August’s leaders’ meeting remains on track and “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 added New Zealand has not received any requests for transport assistance so far but has contingency plans if partner governments need help moving delegations to the island state.
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who visited New Zealand last week, echoed that assessment. Whipps told Pacific Mornings he did not expect the current fuel situation to prevent leaders attending the Forum and expressed gratitude to New Zealand, Australia and the United States for signalling willingness to “go around and pick up leaders and bring them to PIF” if required. Many Pacific leaders travel on complex routes via hubs such as Guam, Japan and the Philippines, which has amplified concerns over how even modest fuel pressure can disrupt attendance.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters underlined the stakes, saying the Palau meeting and follow-up discussions in New Zealand come at a time when the region faces “a very challenging global strategic environment” and that Pacific countries advance their interests best through unity. New Zealand has previously stepped in to support travel, transporting leaders to the Forum in Tonga in 2024 and again to Honiara last September; Luxon’s comment signals readiness to repeat that support if needed.
The reassurances come against a backdrop of warnings over rising global fuel costs and supply-chain strain linked to the Middle East conflict. Regional agencies and national watchdogs have flagged potential price rises and supply vulnerabilities for island states that import all their fuel. While the immediate risk to Palau travel is described as low, officials across the Pacific say the situation bears close monitoring in the months before the August summit.
Beyond the Forum logistics, the Pacific bulletin included other developments relevant to regional resilience. Tonga launched a five-year multi-hazard strategy for risk communication and community engagement this week, aiming to strengthen how authorities warn and work with communities during natural disasters and other crises. Separately, a new study highlighted the Hawaiian monk seal as the marine mammal most at risk of extinction from plastic pollution, underscoring continuing environmental threats to Pacific biodiversity.
For now, organisers expect leaders to make the journey to Palau as planned. But with several months to go, governments and partners are keeping contingency transport plans and fuel-monitoring mechanisms on standby to avoid last‑minute disruption to the region’s most important political gathering.
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