New Zealand Foreign Affair Minister Nanaia Mahuta will visit Niue and Tonga this week to engage in kanohi ki te kanohi with counterparts and work on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Pacific Resilience and climate action priorities.
Leaders across the region reiterated the seriousness of climate change at last month’s Pacific Island Forum as the greatest threat to the Pacific and adopted 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Nanaia’s meetings follow on the back of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s recent visit to Samoa at the start of August which resulted in the provision of $15 million to support the delivery of Samoa’s climate change goals.
The funding comes from $1.3 billion climate fund announced by the New Zealand Government in October 2021, half of which is earmarked for the Pacific.
While in Tonga Nanaia will meet with Prime Minister Hon Hu’akavameiliku and other Ministers, as well as visiting Tongan community leaders and other projects that are partnered with Aotearoa New Zealand.
In Niue Nanaia will meet with Premier Tagelagi and address a special session of the Niue Fale Fono, the first time an outside speaker has addressed the Legislative Assembly. She will also visit the Niue Council of Women, Niue’s frontline healthcare workers, and the Taoga Niue museum.
“The visit builds on our Pacific Resilience approach announced last year, which takes a Pacific-centred view of our shared interests in the region,” says Nanaia “it prioritises building resilience, supporting collective action, and growing the capacity of partner countries.”
Tonga Broadcasting Commission, a partner of PasifikaTV, have been covering the event. They deployed the LiveU unit provided by PCBL to live stream today’s press conference back to the PasifikaTV team who packaged up the broadcast and sent it back out over the PasifikaTV channel.
TBC crew setting up for Nanaia Mahuta’s visit to Tonga. Left to right: Moala ‘Elone, Mesake Fahamokioa, Temisia Nemani, Latu Popi Fotu, Vaoahi Lama, ‘Otufelenite ‘Elone.
