Samoa and New Zealand leaders disagree over treaty talks

Samoan Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon have offered conflicting accounts regarding the status of the Treaty of Friendship, the principal bilateral agreement between the two nations.

According to reports from the Samoa Observer, La’auli stated he declined a request from Luxon to proceed with refreshing the treaty, opting instead to wait until after the New Zealand general election to engage with a potentially new administration. La’auli indicated he is currently preparing proposals to “refresh and refine” the relationship to better reflect modern realities.

However, Prime Minister Luxon has denied that such a request was made. He stated that updating the treaty is “not a priority for us at this time” and suggested there has been misreporting regarding the conversation. Luxon noted that while he wishes to deepen the connection with Samoa, no formal discussions to update the treaty were initiated this year.