Christopher Luxon lands in Honiara. Photo / Adam Pearse
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is holding his first talks with leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum as officials limit media access.
Luxon, having held his first bilateral this morning, is set to make a local school visit in the Solomon Islands before an expected media stand-up in the afternoon.
At 12.48am local time, Luxon’s 757 touched down on the tarmac in a darkened Honiara, lit largely by bright beams from the airport.
Despite his request not to worry about a welcoming ceremony, Luxon was greeted by the Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka, and two other locals who presented Luxon with gifts.
Only lasting a couple of minutes, Luxon’s welcome probably set a record for the quickest before he was whisked away in a large SUV, one of many donated by China to help transport the leaders during the forum.
Battling a muggy 29C this morning, journalists piled into the Chinese-built Friendship Hall to witness the leaders arrive one by one before the plenary meeting.
The meeting, which journalists are unable to attend aside from certain sessions, covers a range of issues including political conflict in New Caledonia and West Papua, nuclear-related issues, labour mobility, the proposed Ocean of Peace declaration, gender, health and many others.
The immense hall, which has many of its written directives in Chinese as well as English, is split into three sections by thick curtains hanging from the tall ceiling.
The tables where the meeting takes place are at the other end from where the media have been stationed. As often happens, there are a few minutes for the leaders to chit-chat and reconnect before they take their allocated seats.
Luxon, not shy to network, engaged with many of the leaders present, first catching up with Australia PM Anthony Albanese and Tuvalu PM Feleti Teo.
In his usual back-slapping and shoulder-rubbing style, Luxon continued what looked to be chummy conversations with his Pacific counterparts.
Reaching Niue PM Dalton Tagelagi, Luxon appeared to joke in good spirits about Tagelagi’s goatee, motioning to his face and chin before laughing. Like in previous forums, all the leaders wear matching attire.
This year, it’s a Pacific-themed dark blue number with what appears to be coral printed on the front, likely to mimic the ocean. Luxon was one of the few to have a long-sleeved version. Advice from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended long-sleeve shirts to limit the malaria risk from mosquitoes.
The meeting was opened by Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele, who acknowledged Luxon as one of the latest leaders to arrive for the forum. Manele’s first statements were to recognise “intensifying competition” in the region.
“Our strength is in our solidarity,” Manele told his colleagues around the long tables. “The world around us is changing fast.
“We are not passive bystanders, we are nations ... bound by the Pacific way.”
Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa continued in a similar vein, referencing “sharpening” geopolitical competition.
Journalists and camera operators were quickly shuffled out, before Waqa had concluded his statements.
The limited access was a far cry from PIF 2024 in Tonga, where journalists were able to get within touching distance of the leaders, able to hear conversations and note down the opening remarks.
Journalists were then told to exit the building, given the meeting’s discussions could be heard over loudspeaker from the other end of the hall.
The difference in attitude to the media in the Solomon Islands is stark, with one official threatening to stop proceedings if journalists didn’t leave.
Once the meeting had ended, Luxon held his first bilateral meeting of the forum with Fiji PM Sitiveni Rabuka.
In brief comments open to journalists, Rabuka spoke of a “refreshed relationship” with New Zealand and hoped the two countries could work together more closely.
Luxon, in reply, told Rabuka how, as a toddler, he had watched on as Rabuka led Fiji’s contingent during the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.
He then gifted Rabuka a coin commemorating the 1974 Games, of which Luxon said, “there might be a rumour that you were hunting this down”.
Rabuka appeared pleased, while a member of his team clapped excitedly.
Rabuka did not give a gift in return.
Referencing the pair as “good friends”, Luxon acknowledged progress on the two-way trade target of $2 billion (currently $1.4b) and said the two countries had work to do combating HIV and the “scourge of drugs”, namely methamphetamine.