New Zealand says there is no immediate risk to Pacific leaders travelling to Palau for this year’s Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
But Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says support is ready if the region’s fuel pressures worsen although no leaders have requested assistance so far.
“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 the media.
The Forum leaders meeting is the region’s most important political gathering, bringing together leaders from across the Pacific to discuss shared challenges and priorities.
For many island nations, getting to Palau is not simple.
Leaders from countries like Sāmoa, Tonga, and Niue face long and complex travel routes, mostly relying on limited international connections through hubs such as Guam, Japan and the Philippines.
Christopher Luxon met with Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. last week in Auckland. Photo/Supplied/PMO
That has put a spotlight on how vulnerable Pacific travel can be especially when fuel supply becomes uncertain.
Palau’s President, Surangel Whipps Jr. has also played down concerns, saying he does not expect the situation to worsen.
Whipps, who visited Aotearoa last week, told William Terite, on Pacific Mornings: “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.”
Listen to Surangel Whipps Jr’s full interview below.
New Zealand has stepped in before to support Pacific travel. It helped transport leaders to the Forum in Tonga in 2024 and again in Honiara last September.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters said the upcoming meetings in Palau and New Zealand are an important moment for the region.
“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 press release.
Winston Peters and Surangel Whipps Jr. in Palau during Peters’ Micronesia tour in 2024. Photo/PMN News/Ala Vailala
The government has yet to confirm who will attend the Palau Forum this year. New Zealand takes its turn next year with both countries forming part of the Forum’s leadership group.
While there is no confirmed disruption at this stage, the situation highlights a wider issue: how fragile travel links remain across the Pacific and how quickly small pressures can become big problems for island nations.
For now, leaders are expected to make the journey to Palau as planned. But with months to go, governments across the region will be watching closely and ready to step in if needed.
