A professor of strategic studies says New Zealand should not assume that Pacific countries will chart their destinies together with New Zealand and Australia.
Robert Ayson, from Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Studies, made his comments at a discussion on the New Zealand Government's review of its Defence White Paper.
Mr Ayson says New Zealand should be welcoming of the closer links Pacific countries are developing with larger partners including India, China, Indonesia, the EU and the US.
He also says that over the next 10 years New Zealand should expect it will be required to make a deployment to a struggling South Pacific nation.
