New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will miss next week’s Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Suva after contracting COVID-19.

Associate Foreign Minister Aupito William Sio will now travel to Fiji to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the request of Mahuta.

“The Pacific Islands Forum is at the heart of our engagement with the region. It is the pre-eminent institutional structure for addressing Pacific priorities, and talks with the PIF Secretariat were a priority during my visit to Fiji in March,” Mahuta said.

“This Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which precedes the Leaders’ Forum comes at a critical time. The most pressing security and economic challenges for the Pacific are from the effects of climate change.”

“Aotearoa New Zealand stands alongside the Pacific to mitigate and adapt to the impact of sea-level rise. Half of our $1.3 billion climate finance commitments announced late last year is for the Pacific.”

“We also welcome the Pacific-led solution that will see Micronesian states represented at the Forum this year, and acknowledge the leadership of the Fiji government and the PIF Secretariat to secure this outcome,” she said.

By Reginald Chandar