Prime Minister Rabuka Meets With New Zealand Prime Minister: New Assistance Announced for Fiji

The first bilateral meeting convened today between the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Honourable Sitiveni Rabuka and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, reaffirmed the commitment of the two nations to build an enduring partnership for sustainable socioeconomic development and prosperity.

A joint statement by the two leaders highlighted the areas where there is alignment in Fiji and New Zealand’s world views and set ambitious goal for future cooperation and their joint aspiration to grow the trade and investment opportunities between New Zealand and Fiji.

Prime Minister Rabuka welcomed the announcement that the New Zealand Government will remove the requirement for transit visas for Fijian nationals travelling through New Zealand, saying that will bolster economic activities and enable Fijian nationals to travel through New Zealand, with relative ease.

On the same note, Prime Minister Rabuka commended New Zealand’s comprehensive partnership approach to provide additional labour mobility support to Fiji over the next 5 years through the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.

Prime Minister Rabuka further welcomed the expanded support from New Zealand towards strengthening Fiji’s economic resilience, including support for micro, small, and medium enterprises development, the private sector enabling framework, the digital economy, and fisheries.

Prime Minister Rabuka acknowledged with gratitude Prime Minister Luxon’s commitment to the Duavata Partnership and affirmed their belief in the importance of the fundamental shared values that underpin the Duavata Partnership. Prime Minister Rabuka noted that the Partnership will be reviewed later this year in alignment with priorities of the two Governments.

Additionally, Prime Minister Rabuka expressed his sincere appreciation to the Government and people of New Zealand for their support to Fiji.

He thanked Prime Minister Luxon for his timely visit to Fiji which signifies New Zealand’s commitment to revitalize cooperation with Fiji in the priority areas including: economy, trade and investment, climate change and disaster resilience, labour mobility, security and defence, fisheries, agriculture and health, amongst others.

On regional cooperation, Prime Minister Rabuka outlined his vision for an Ocean of Peace across our Blue Pacific Continent, which both Prime Ministers look forward to discussing further alongside other regional leaders at the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting in Tonga, in August this year.

Prime Minister Luxon said, “Fiji is a critical partner for New Zealand and we look to Fiji for its leadership in the Pacific. We share values and interests, and we work closely together on the challenges confronting our region.

“I share Prime Minister Rabuka’s aspiration for two-way trade between our countries to reach $2 billion by 2030,” Prime Minister Luxon said.

On the removal of the requirement for transit visas for Fijian nationals traveling through NZ, Prime Minister Luxon said, “Many Fijian nationals travel through New Zealand to reach other destinations in the Pacific and around the world – we expect this will have a positive economic impact for the region.

“This change will mean that Fijian nationals will be able to transit New Zealand with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), similar to many other Pacific countries,” Prime Minister Luxon said. Prime Minister Luxon also announced funding for several other initiatives in Fiji through New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation programme:

• A further NZ$3.6 million to Fiji’s Climate Relocation of Communities Trust Fund.

• Funding of NZ$572,000 for an upgrade to the High Temperature Forced Air (HTFA) Facility at Nadi International Airport alongside Australia, to help Fijian horticultural exporters meet New Zealand’s strict biosecurity requirements.

• NZ$15.3 million for a New Zealand Plant and Food Research-led programme to support farmers in five Pacific countries, including Fiji, to adapt to the impacts of climate change on production.

• NZ$7.5 million for the Government of Fiji’s economic reform programme, which is focused on improving fiscal management and sustainability, and economic resilience.

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Prime Minister Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon during the bilateral meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Prime Minister Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka and his delegation at the Bilateral Meeting convened today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs