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Security within the Pacific
The Pacific faces a number of security challenges that, as part of the region, are also faced by New Zealand. For that reason, security is a core component of our relationships in the Pacific. Challenges include transboundary security threats, including climate change, transnational crime, and cybercrime.
In 2018, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders agreed a new declaration, the Boe Declaration on Regional Security(external link), which responds to a more complex environment with an expanded concept of security, and calls for closer coordination in the Pacific region. Alongside traditional security, challenges include climate change, human security, environmental and resource security, transnational crime, and cyber security.
Regional security issues require responses that are Pacific-owned and respond to regional priorities. New Zealand works with the Pacific Islands Forum and close regional partners to realise our collective commitment and capacity to address our regional security needs.
New Zealand actively supports regional security organisations including the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police, the Oceania Customs Organisation, and the Pacific Immigration Development Community. These organisations enable discussion, information sharing, and coordinated training, and are integral to addressing shared security threats.
New Zealand agencies – such as Police, Customs, and Immigration – work closely with their Pacific counterparts to strengthen border security. New Zealand’s Transnational Crime Unit works closely with the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre in Apia, and national Pacific Transnational Crime Units throughout the region. New Zealand Police and Customs work with Police and customs in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands on the Pacific Detector Dog Programme.
New Zealand also provides monitoring, control and surveillance support that work with Pacific countries to protect their fisheries from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Pacific Security Fund
We also administer the Pacific Security Fund (NZD$1 million each year), which is used by New Zealand agencies to support Pacific countries.
For more information on the PSF, including the application process, please contact us on psf@mfat.govt.nz.
Security within Asia
We have long-standing defence ties with many Asian countries and security issues are an area of focus in our work with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Transnational crime including people smuggling, drug trafficking, cyber crime and maritime piracy are significant security challenges in Asia. There's a growing threat from radicalisation with foreign terrorist fighters returning home from other regions such as the Middle East, and maritime and territorial disputes have the potential to cause instability in the region.
Read about countering:
What's New Zealand doing?
ASEAN and security
- We're a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum which fosters constructive dialogue on political and security issues and supports cooperative ties in the region. Forum members include all ASEAN members as well as Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, DPRK, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and the US.
- We're also a member of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) which serves to strengthen security and defence cooperation amongst its members for peace, stability, and development in the region. In 2010, the Defence Ministers agreed to focus on five key areas: maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster management, peacekeeping operations and military medicine. Members include the ADMM (ASEAN states) plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russian Federation and the US.
Read more about our work with ASEAN
People smuggling
- We belong to the Bali Process, a regional multilateral forum chaired by Australia and Indonesia, which aims to counter people smuggling through regional cooperation