New Zealand’s statecraft ‘in and of the Pacific’

This chapter focuses on the case study of New Zealand, which has long described itself as a Pacific nation, one that is not just geographically ‘in’ the region, but also culturally ‘of’ the region. With a large Pasifika diaspora and Polynesian connections with New Zealand's tangata whenua (Indigenous Māori people), statecraft in the Pacific Islands region by New Zealand differs significantly from that of Australia and the United States. This chapter explores the ways in which these connections are sought and maintained through historical and constitutional mechanisms, migration and diaspora, Indigenous foreign policy, mainstreaming Pasifika into diplomacy and security assistance, and general Pacific literacy of the population in New Zealand. Although New Zealand maintains an independent foreign policy driven by its values, it is often called upon by other partners to assist in facilitating relationships in the region, given the effectiveness of its statecraft.