This Statement of Partnership, commonly known as the Duavata Partnership, sets out the shared principles, priorities and understandings that will guide cooperation and engagement between the Government of New Zealand and the Government of the Republic of Fiji over the five-year period from 2026-2030. It affirms our joint ambition to further elevate our strategic cooperation, building on the inaugural period of our Duavata Partnership which ran from 2022-2025.
In coming together under this Statement of Partnership, we recognise our shared Pacific culture and identity, and historical connections. These connections are further strengthened through the vibrant links between our peoples and institutions, the growth of economic and trade flows, and our common interests in the Blue Pacific region.
We reaffirm that our long-established relationship is a natural partnership, founded on mutual respect for sovereignty and equality, governed by a spirit of friendship.
We highlight the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent as a shared horizon to improve the lives of our peoples and our planet. We acknowledge Fiji’s National Development Plan 2025- 2029 and Vision 2050, which seeks to empower the people of Fiji through unity. We also acknowledge Fiji’s Foreign Policy White Paper that places the Pacific family first and New Zealand’s goal of supporting a safe, stable and resilient Pacific.
We recognise the intensifying regional and global challenges that our countries are facing. In that context we reaffirm the shared values at the heart of our partnership – including a common commitment to addressing the existential threat posed by climate change; enhancing the status of the Pacific as an Ocean of Peace; promoting, respecting, and advancing human rights and democratic governance; and working with Pacific and other partners towards peace, prosperity, and sustainability.
In addition, we recognise the importance of cooperation in regional and international fora to the achievement of our goals under this Partnership. The Pacific Islands Forum is the preeminent regional political forum for both New Zealand and Fiji. We continue to coordinate closely together in the United Nations and other multilateral fora and work deliberately to enhance and uphold the global rules-based order.
Partnership Principles | Veiwekani Vakacakacaka
Under this Statement of Partnership, New Zealand and Fiji will work collaboratively according to the principles of:
- Respect and understanding of our shared values, as well as for our unique cultures and traditions;
- Trust and openness to understand each other’s views, including when there are differences of opinion;
- Striving for solutions of mutual benefit when developing domestic and foreign policy, including considering impacts for the wider Pacific region;
- Collective ambition in working together for the good of present and future generations to develop effective outcomes and solutions to the challenges of development, human rights, rule of law, security, and climate change; and
- Seeking sustainability by focusing on our long-term goals and greater resilience, and to ensure responsible management of our natural, financial, and human resources.
Priority Areas for Cooperation | Veika me Qaravi
Guided by our shared values and principles, New Zealand and Fiji will advance our partnership under the following priority areas:
Cooperation under this priority area is fundamental to the functioning of our government systems and machinery. It encompasses engagement on democratic governance and its enabling institutions: the legislature, executive, and judiciary. It also reflects our shared values and deepens our people-to-people connections.
Under this priority area, we will work together to:
- Maintain a high tempo of political and officials’ level visits in both directions;
- Foster connections between our peoples and institutions in the areas of education, cultural, and sporting exchanges;
- Pursue greater understanding and strategic coordination between New Zealand and Fiji on our respective foreign policy priorities;
- Foster stronger partnerships and interoperability between our systems of Government by facilitating increased information-sharing, technology, and knowledge exchanges between New Zealand and Fiji institutions;
- Enhance accountability, transparency, and high-quality delivery in public and democratic institutions through legislative, regulatory, and administrative reforms;
- Deepen workstreams that build the capacity and capability of key democratic institutions, including parliament, elections, legal registries, civil service, and judiciary;
- Explore further opportunities for coordination and capacity building in the justice sector; and
and technical support - Promote, protect, and advance the fundamental rights and freedoms of all, including vulnerable communities and people most at risk of being left behind, while advocating for equitable access to justice for all.
In support of building economic resilience, the Governments of New Zealand and Fiji seek greater development of, and integration between, our economies, including through increased trade and investment. We reconfirm our ambition that New Zealand and Fiji achieve NZ$ 2 billion in two-way trade by 2030.
Under this priority area, we will work together to:
- Defend, strengthen, and modernise the rules-based trading system, reflecting its significant contribution to our economies’ resilience and prosperity;
- Explore opportunities for closer economic integration bilaterally and within the wider Pacific region, including through PACER Plus, and multilaterally;
- Expand collaboration between our trade officials in bilateral, regional, plurilateral, and global trade initiatives and fora, including at the World Trade Organization (WTO);
- Collaborate on policy reforms and programmes that enhance the competitiveness and productivity of key economic sectors, including agriculture and tourism; catalyse private sector growth through business support and finance initiatives; promote Fiji’s economic and export diversification; recognise the importance of climate-resilient infrastructure development; and stimulate opportunities for two-way trade and investment;
- Work with the private sector to progressively identify and address tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, including supporting exporters to better understand and engage with each other’s technical trade requirements;
- Address skills shortages and implement Fiji’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training policy to support private sector growth and improved productivity in Fiji;
- Support Fiji’s participation in the Recognised Seasonal Employer, Peak Seasonal Visa and Global Workforce Season Visa schemes in a sustainable way and deliver
economic and social benefits for workers, their families, and communities; and - Continue to seek opportunities to promote greater economic integration, including through increased people-to-people links, sustainable tourism development and improved two-way connectivity.
We are guided by the Boe Declaration on Regional Security, the Ocean of Peace Declaration and our respective national security strategies and remain determined to deepen both our bilateral security relationship as well as other regional security relationships and arrangements. With this in mind, we remain committed to actively engaging in a manner that supports the regional architecture to uphold regional leadership and to resist external threats.
Under this priority area, we will work together to:
- Enhance our capacity and capability to maintain sovereign authority over our land, maritime territories and Exclusive Economic Zones. This will include enhancing cooperation to address the common challenges and trans-border security issues, such as transnational crime, which place our communities at risk;
- Recognise the importance of safe and sustainable maritime transport infrastructure;
- Expand our practical bilateral and regional cooperation in community policing, immigration, customs, border security, cyber security, and intelligence through
deepening interoperability, and by continuing knowledge sharing, exchanges and training; - Maintain the strong, trusting and enduring relationships between our defence and security forces;
- Enhance defence cooperation through continuation of sustainable and relevant training, combined exercises, maritime security cooperation and humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief efforts; - Strengthen the institutional capacity and capability of Fiji’s defence and law enforcement agencies;
- Facilitate open dialogue and information exchange on shared security challenges, ensuring that security cooperation efforts contribute positively towards regional
peace, stability, prosperity and resilience; and - Cooperate on regional and multilateral initiatives to advance the Pacific as an Ocean of Peace.
We share the principle that people are core to the work we do together and have a right to a dignified and decent quality of life, as outlined in Fiji’s National Development Plan 2025- 2029 and Vision 2050. We recognise that achieving improved social well-being relies on equitable access to quality healthcare, housing, education and social services, and when communities are empowered to actively participate in decision-making.
Under this priority area, we will work together to:
- Strengthen capacity to advance gender equality and eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls;
- Seek opportunities to enhance access to higher quality primary health and education services and to improve social and economic participation, particularly for vulnerable groups;
- increase access to well-planned, affordable and healthy climate-resilient social housing supported by resilient infrastructure, such as water supply and sanitation;
- Address the social harm of drug use through strengthening social and health services, improving access to treatment, and provision of community-based support and
education; - Support the vital role of civil society and community organisations in driving inclusive, community-led social and economic development; and
- Deliver targeted scholarships in fields facing critical shortages and support tertiary education opportunities in Fiji that develop leadership and professional capability
aligned with Fiji’s development priorities.
We recognise that climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and well-being of Pacific people. Underlining our joint commitment to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, we will continue to cooperate at the regional and global level to raise awareness of and support collective action to combat climate change, strengthen adaptation, and build resilience.
Under this priority area, we will work together to:
- Address climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience to minimise adverse effects on people and the environment, including supporting Fiji’s shift to renewable energy and to reducing its reliance on imported fossil fuels;
- Pursue activities to implement our agreed obligations under relevant international instruments;
- Cooperate on bilateral, regional, and multilateral initiatives relating to trade, climate change and sustainability;
- Cooperate on new modalities and financing for climate action, including mobilising private finance, bonds and other instruments;
- Protect biodiversity and ecosystems, including through effective customs and biosecurity measures;
- Strengthen Fiji’s resilience to and recovery from disasters, including climate-proofing infrastructure, integrating urban planning, and improving early warning systems;
- Recognise the role of public-private partnerships and community engagement in delivering resilient infrastructure, sustainable transport and renewable energy solutions;
- Support efforts to prepare for and manage climate-induced human mobility; and
- Enhance interoperability and coordination between our respective emergency management offices, civilian agencies and defence forces to improve our joint readiness and response capabilities in the region.
Shared Understandings | Veirogorogoci
To give practical effect to our ambitions, New Zealand and Fiji will hold each other mutually accountable under this Statement of Partnership, with a strong focus on results.
To achieve this, we will work together in the following ways:
- Support frequent bilateral Ministerial visits and consultations on issues of mutual interest, including regular meetings between our Prime Ministers and Foreign
Ministers; - Hold annual high-level consultations to set out in this Statement; discuss progress made in the priority areas
- Coordinate long-term and predictable development assistance in agreed priority areas in line with Fiji’s National Development Plan;
- Pursue development activities that are inclusive, sustainable, and clear about and accountable for what we will each deliver; and be resilient and effective
- Where possible, work towards increasing the proportion of development expenditure channelled through higher-order modalities, such as budget support, and managed within Fiji’s systems.