Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced details today on how New Zealand will increase its diplomatic and development presence in the Pacific.

As part of the Pacific Reset policy, the government announced a renewed focus on building deeper and more mature partnerships with Pacific Island countries, as well as increasing development funding.

“To assist with delivering our Pacific Reset, 14 new diplomatic and development positions are being created offshore,” said Mr Peters.

“Ten new positions will be rolled out across our posts in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Honolulu.”

“As well, four new positions are being placed in Tokyo, Beijing, Brussels, and New York, to coordinate development policy and partnerships for the Pacific region,” he said.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is also strengthening capability in Wellington to manage the development programme, and to ensure it’s making a targeted difference for the region.

“These new positions are a first step in demonstrating New Zealand is committed to the Pacific to help it be a safer and more prosperous and enhancing New Zealand’s voice in a region,” said Mr Peters.

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