Honourable Ministers, Members of Parliament and representatives from across the Pacific, and distinguished guests.

Warm Pacific greetings to you all.

It is a pleasure to welcome women parliamentarians and other Pacific representatives to Wellington for this chance to share experiences, learn from one another, and strengthen the relationships between us that underpin our Pacific cooperation.

We are proud to support Pacific parliamentary cooperation through New Zealand’s overseas development programme and we wish to acknowledge the New Zealand Speaker’s strong support for this initiative.

Democratic governance, the rule of law, and accountability to our citizens are core values that bind us all together in our Pacific Blue Continent.

The role of the Pacific to New Zealand

The Pacific is the central focus of our foreign policy. It’s New Zealand’s front yard and we are linked through our DNA, our history and cultural ties. We also understand the important role of talanoa, or face-to-face meetings, like this one tonight.

That’s why we are proud that in this three-year parliamentary term we have travelled to all Pacific Islands Forum countries for talanoa, to hear your views and to discuss our collective aspirations and problems.

The importance of our role as elected representatives

Make no mistake, the region in which we live is beset with challenges – heightened strategic competition, food and fuel security, illicit drugs, natural disasters – issues that can only be addressed with strong regional cooperation.

As such, the role we all perform as representatives of our people has never been more important, nor urgent.

So, we are pleased to welcome you to Wellington to strengthen relationships, build networks, and take away with you new insights learned from each other’s experience.

The responsibilities carried by elected representatives are significant and the role can be lonely. We know there are barriers to entering these roles – particularly for women – due to online harms, fears over security, and the impacts of intense scrutiny from society.

Our representatives need to represent the communities from which they come, and increased women’s representation is an ambition we support. The presence here of so many women parliamentarians from across the region is significant.

Let us tell you that in our experience, men are very good at talking with and past each other, present company excluded. Women, in contrast, get things done, so the more of you represented in your parliaments is, we think, a very good thing.

In a few weeks, Pacific leaders will gather in Palau for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. The Forum remains the region's premier political institution and an important expression of Pacific regionalism.

In 2027, New Zealand will have the privilege of chairing the Pacific Islands Forum which will bring together members from across our vast Pacific to advocate for shared regional priorities and the interests of our peoples.

We need your input into your country’s priorities, so that we can faithfully represent the views of all our Pacific family.

We wish you all the best for this important event.