![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/C4FSSBPUB5GMTO2K7QUFZ5DF7A.JPG\")
<\/p>\nPrime Minister Christopher Luxon wants M\u0101ori identity and those connections to the Pacific showcased when New Zealand hosts the Pacific Islands Forum next year, despite ongoing criticism of his government\u2019s relationship with M\u0101ori.<\/p>\n
Asked whether there was a contradiction between promoting that relationship to Pacific leaders and the state of M\u0101ori-Crown relations at home, Luxon rejected the suggestion outright, saying his government gave effect to Te Tiriti by delivering better outcomes for M\u0101ori.<\/p>\n
New Zealand will host the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Auckland in 2027 and has now joined the Forum Troika alongside Palau and Solomon Islands, giving it an expanded regional leadership role in the lead-up to next year\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n
Reflecting at the conclusion of the leaders\u2019 retreat in Palau late last week, Luxon emphasised that hosting the Forum presents a unique platform to highlight not only the country\u2019s broad Pacific relationships, but its distinct indigenous identity and the deep ties binding M\u0101ori to the wider region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the biggest Polynesian country in the world, and so it\u2019s a great chance for us to showcase our Pacific connections, but also tangata whenua connections as well,\u201d Luxon stated. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so to showcase our unique M\u0101ori cultural identity and that connection between M\u0101ori actually and the Pacific is actually going to be pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the specifics and planning of the program remain underway with roughly a year left to shape the agenda, the commitment comes against a backdrop of debate surrounding the coalition government\u2019s approach to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and M\u0101ori-Crown relations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s ongoing review of Treaty clauses across legislation, including proposals to water down provisions to a \u201ctake into account\u201d standard triggered an urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry. <\/p>\n
The Tribunal found the legislative process damaged the Crown-M\u0101ori relationship, urging immediate steps toward repair.<\/p>\n
This also coincides with other contentious policy shifts, including changes to M\u0101ori wards, Oranga Tamariki\u2019s section 7AA, and the Marine and Coastal Area Act.<\/p>\n
Challenged on how a credible relationship with M\u0101ori can be presented to international leaders amid domestic criticism, Luxon dismissed the premise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI disagree with that outright,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you really want to honour the Treaty, what you got to do is lift outcomes for M\u0101ori.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highlighting positive metrics, Luxon pointed to drops in youth offending and M\u0101ori crime victimisation, rising childhood immunisation rates, and housing initiatives executed in partnership with iwi nationwide. <\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate people may comment on that, but I think the best thing I can do to give effect to the Treaty is actually to be a good Crown partner by delivering better outcomes for M\u0101ori. I think we\u2019re doing that as a government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aotearoa takes the regional reins<\/p>\n
Stepping into the Forum Troika alongside Palau and Solomon Islands means New Zealand will share political oversight and strategic direction, positioning the country at the core of regional decision-making for the first time in over a decade. <\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Winston Peters stressed that the expanded mandate requires ensuring the upcoming Auckland summit delivers tangible, concrete benefits for the region. <\/p>\n
For Luxon, economic development is a core priority to boost collective prosperity and drive regional well-being.<\/p>\n
It follows a Palau Forum defined by high-stakes challenges, spanning climate change, security, transnational crime, and rising geopolitical pressures.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5ZVMNXKRRZFCHNMXO3G65CGPPE.JPG\")
Climate, security and an Ocean of Peace<\/p>\n
Palau President and Forum chair Surangel Whipps Jr confirmed that leaders reinforced their climate advocacy, aiming to keep the Paris Agreement\u2019s 1.5C threshold alive while backing a new Pacific Gender Climate Pact. <\/p>\n
On the security front, leaders endorsed a Regional Peace and Security Action Plan to combat the surge of transnational crime and illicit drug trafficking. Luxon singled out methamphetamine as a critical regional threat demanding tighter intelligence-sharing and cooperation among police, customs, and defence forces.<\/p>\n
Discussions also addressed recent geopolitical friction, including concern over an unannounced intercontinental ballistic missile test that overflew member states. Under the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration, leaders demanded at least 24 hours\u2019 advance notice for future ICBM tests, though Nauru dissented.<\/p>\n
West Papua remains on the table<\/p>\n
The long-standing issue of West Papua returned to the forefront. While reaffirming recognition of Indonesian sovereignty, the Forum called for the protection of local human rights and agreed to facilitate a high-level mission involving interested leaders in consultation with the Melanesian Spearhead Group, with findings due by next year\u2019s summit.<\/p>\n
Resilience, health, oceans and AI<\/p>\n
The retreat yielded broad agreements that New Zealand will help champion through the Troika. <\/p>\n
Whipps announced an additional $20.5 million in pledges for the Pacific Resilience Facility. <\/p>\n
Leaders also addressed non-communicable diseases- which account for 75 per cent of regional deaths, endorsed a refreshed regional framework for people with disabilities, and adopted the Waka Manu Regional Pacific Fisheries Strategy for 2026\u20132035.<\/p>\n
Embracing technological shifts, the Forum endorsed the region\u2019s first digital and artificial intelligence principles to shape upcoming AI governance frameworks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wants M\u0101ori identity and those connections to the Pacific showcased when New Zealand hosts…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":593191,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[11508,111,43,139,69,292403],"class_list":["post-593190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-christopher-luxon","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pacific-islands-forum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}