New Zealand Weighs Joining Australia‑Fiji Ocean of Peace Pact

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand will consider joining the Ocean of Peace Alliance, a defence treaty signed by Australia and Fiji on July 6. The pact obliges each signatory to assist the other if attacked and marks Fiji’s first formal alliance, making it Australia’s fourth ally after the United States, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The agreement is open to other Pacific states, and New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said it would “elevate our long‑standing relationship … to the next level through an alliance”.

New Zealand currently has only one formal ally, Australia, and any decision to join will be taken by cabinet and parliament. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the move, noting the alliance will be backed by A$1 billion over ten years. The treaty is framed as a response to China’s growing influence in the Pacific, following a Chinese missile test from a nuclear‑powered submarine earlier in the week. Analysts see the pact as a step toward a broader regional security coalition resembling NATO, aimed at countering Beijing’s expanding presence.