Transcript
"The Pacific Islands don't matter because they are leeches who want our money."
Heather du Plessis-Allan's comments caused outrage with many in New Zealand including the Pasifika community.
However, the dust has mostly settled and the news cycle has moved on.
Massey University's Anna Powles from the Centre for Defence and Security doesn't agree that Pacific Island countries are taking advantage of New Zealand's overseas development assistance.
"I think that's a fairly cynical perspective to have and I don't agree with that. I think that there's a lot of work to be done in that space in terms of New Zealand engaging with Pacific partners, and I deliberately use the word partners, in such a way to ensure that the best outcomes are met for Pacific Island citizens themselves."
Fourteen New Zealanders partnering in development in Solomon Islands have decried the media comments via an open letter published on the RNZ website.
One of them is Nid Satjipanon whose work involves upskilling the justice and governance sector.
"A common misconception with foreign aid is that governments sign a cheque and go 'here you go government of whatever, here's some money' and that's not the case in terms of what we're doing. We're contracting, we come in with the old ethos of - teaching a man to fish - that eventually in the future they'll no longer be reliant on any foreign aid."
Mr Satjipanon says New Zealand's commitment as an aid development partner sets the country in good stead for the future.
"There's great admiration of New Zealand as a Pacific neighbour and as a leading economy in the Pacific. A lot of people really admire New Zealand's own relationship with Pakeha and Maori and how we're trying to make it co-existent. And it's relevant in the Solomon Islands where they're trying to also reconcile traditional ways with a modern way of living."
That theme of reconciling traditional cultural practice with economic growth and prosperity is common across the Pacific.
New Zealand's foreign minister Winston Peters has started using the Blue Continent moniker to describe the 'greater Pacific' neighbourhood.
"Their importance in terms of security and our country's well-being and the big picture should never be under-estimated and we have to ensure that we maintain excellent relations with them and ensure that our presence and that of countries that share our values is not substituted by the presence of others who do not share the Pacific values or indeed ours."
Mr Peters says region-wide there is a growing recognition of the need to work together to overcome issues that challenge the region as a whole.
He says the Boe Declaration ratified at last month's Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit in Nauru shows the value of the regional body he says he once questioned.
