The Pacific Island Forum could serve as a "constructive force" to find a "path forward" in New Caledonia, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says.
"The situation has reached an impasse, and one not easily navigated given the violence that broke out, the democratic injuries that have reopened old wounds and created new ones."
Peters is in Japan representing New Zealand at the 10th Japan - Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10) hosted by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo.
He delivered a speech titled 'Pacific Futures', pointing to increasing challenges in the Indo-Pacific as context.
The speech was an opportunity to outline New Zealand's foreign policy shift, and the minister made renewed calls for "more diplomacy, more engagement, more compromise", particularly in New Caledonia.
Riots and armed clashes between indigenous Kanak pro-independence protesters and security forces in New Caledonia's capital Nouméa erupted in May following an attempt by the French government to make constitutional amendments which would affect voting rights for 25,000 people.
Peters also raised questions around the legitimacy of the 2021 referendum on independence due to a "vastly reduced, and therefore different, sample of voters" and the "obvious democratic injury".
Winston Peters Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
"Those two decisions were among the reasons, alongside growing inequalities and lack of prospects for the indigenous Kanak population, especially their youth, that led to the precarious situation that exploded into unrest in May."
Though, he also understood the 25,000 potential voters may also feel "democratic injury" due to disenfranchisement.
"We raise this crisis here because the situation in New Caledonia is a test of the effectiveness of our regional architecture in dealing with crisis response. It also creates a chance for the Pacific Islands Forum to serve as a constructive force, helping to bring the parties together for an essential democratic dialogue and the path forward.
"In this role, the Pacific Islands Forum needs to find an appropriate mechanism and the best person or people to help facilitate dialogue, engagement or mediation as a path forward between the different actors in New Caledonia."
He pointed to recent discussions between President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on New Caledonia on what role the Forum might play.
"Pacific Islands Forum countries by virtue of our locations and histories understand the large indigenous minority population's desire for self-determination. We also deeply respect and appreciate France's role in the region and understand France's desire to walk together with New Caledonians towards a prosperous and secure future."
The discussions come at a time where wider geopolitical implications are affecting the Pacific.
He said "Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine", the "utter catastrophe still unfolding in Gaza", and the risk of greater escalation in the Middle East were creating a more destabilised global security situation.
Peters said decision-makers should have their "eyes-wide open" to their country's challenges, but also be "alert to opportunities that materially advance the prosperity and security of our citizens".
"The call for renewed and vigorous diplomatic engagement provides the context for New Zealand's foreign policy reset. The security environment has deteriorated sharply during the three years since last being foreign minister, accentuating an even longer-term deterioration of the rules-based order."
Peters said New Zealand's foreign policy reset is a response to "three big shifts underpinning the multi-faceted and complex challenges facing the international order" which he outlines:
- From rules to power, a shift towards a multipolar world that is characterized by more contested rules and where relative power between states assumes a greater role in shaping international affairs.
- From economics to security, a shift in which economic relationships are reassessed in light of increased military competition in a more securitised and less stable world.
- From efficiency to resilience, where we see a shift in the drivers of economic behaviour, and where building greater resilience and addressing pressing social and sustainability issues become more prominent.
In response, he said the New Zealand government was "significantly increasing our focus and resources" to South East and North Asia, including Japan.
The government is also renewing engagement with "traditional like-minded partnerships" and supporting new groupings that "advance and defend our interests and capabilities". He mentions the IP4 and NATO as examples.
"We also knew we needed to give more energy, more urgency, and a sharper focus to three inter-connected lines of diplomatic effort: investing in our relationships, growing our prosperity, and strengthening our security."
Peters will return to New Zealand on Saturday.
