Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says climate change and finding regional solutions to shared problems were the focus of the leaders' retreat, the centrepiece of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
Watch the PM address media here:
Ardern said climate change was a key theme today, as it had been for the past numbers of days.
The retreat gave regional leaders a chance to meet in person and discuss the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, a joint plan setting out climate and geopolitical actions and goals.
A communiqué from leaders present had identified climate change as an existential threat, highlighting the centrality of the issue to the region's well-being, Ardern said.
"When you have the likes of Tuvalu represented there, which is having a conversation around their future, their nationhood without possibly a land mass - that is the conversation that is being had and demonstrates how important climate change is for this region," she added.
She characterised the overall 51st forum leaders' meeting in Suva as an expression of unity, and of having a strong sense of regionalism, in working to address shared concerns with "our own solutions".
"It was the opportunity really to go over a 2050 strategy, a significant piece of work and just highlight the areas that we really wanted to amplify," she said.
Ardern also touched on China and the Forum's strong focus on regionalism. She said there was "a real desire to meet our needs and take that family first approach", something that New Zealand fully supported.
Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare, who in April signed a deal with China just three months before the forum - had told RNZ today he had needed to explain to other leaders his country's commitment to the Pacific family. There have been fears its security pact with China would lead to a military base being established in the country.
"We know where our boundaries are and what our responsibilities are when it comes to pushing the agendas of the Blue Pacific," he said.
Ardern told media New Zealand was concerned about militarisation in the Pacific, but emphasised nations were free to make decisions on their own security arrangements.
"You can certainly assume that I will constantly speak on behalf of the priorities that New Zealand has, we have been very strong about militarisation of our region," she said.
"That doesn't mean that nations can't make their own choices around their own defence needs. But as we are going to try and model, as we work on our defence strategy, we will talk to our Pacific neighbours because our strategy impacts others."
One issue examined was the impact of energy prices on the region, she said.
"Seventy-two percent, according to the forum, of electricity supply for our Pacific Island countries, comes from fossil fuels," Ardern said.
Not only did this have an impact on climate change, there was an issue of a vulnerability to the changing energy market.
"This is where you'll see there's been a commitment from the forum to move towards trying to increase renewable... this is where we, as New Zealand, need to work alongside the region, to reach that goal, reduce those energy costs for our neighbours and reduce emissions."
Kiribati has been absent from the 51st PIF, over concerns Micronesian candidates were being snubbed in selecting the forum's secretary general.
Former president of Kiribati Anote Tong has raised concerns the absence points to "something cooking" between the country and Beijing - though China has rejected that.
Ardern said Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama had spoken with the leader of Kiribati, which was a demonstration that the lines of communication were still there.
It was clear how nations in the Pacific could now proceed.
"The forum have said the Suva Agreement has been signed up to, we're all in agreement that that's the way forward. Now the door is open and of course it would be our hope that Kiribati, when they choose to, will come back to the forum," she said.
Ardern added the forum had worked hard on having important conversations.
"It's often in those important conversations that we're reminded we have common problems but we also have common values and common goals, and the chance to be able to talk about those issues face-to-face, no intermediary... that's invaluable and there's been a lot of those in the past few days," she said.
The 36-page Blue Pacific strategy document outlines 10 commitments across seven interconnected thematic areas most crucial for the sustainable long-term development of the region.
The focus areas include political leadership and regionalism, people-centred development, peace and security, resource and economic development, climate change and disasters, ocean and environment, and technology and connectivity.
United States Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the forum remotely yesterday, promising a significant increase in engagement, including new embassies and a three-fold increase in funding.
