Rubbish!

That was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s response when asked if there was a recent rush to engage with the Pacific because of Beijing’s heightened presence in the region.

“I almost feel like it doesn’t bear comment,” she said in an interview with The Fiji Times.

“Would anyone from Fiji say the relationship with New Zealand started a year ago?

“Of course not, no one would.

“That’s where I think our shared history together speaks for itself.

“We’ve had longstanding relations through good times and tough times.”

Ms Ardern said contrary to wider perception, New Zealand’s engagement with the Pacific has been more than just about forging strategic alliances.

“Our relationships have never just been geo-strategic. They’ve never been based on annual meetings or singular projects.

“You know, when I think about the relationship between New Zealand and the Pacific, you just need to look at our population, look at our shared history between our indigenous peoples, through waka voyaging and mapping the region of the Pacific.”

She said almost 10 per cent of New Zealand’s population were Pacifika and 9 per cent of their parliamentarians were of Pacific heritage.

“Our relationship with the Pacific is fundamentally different.

“As I say, it’s who we are and you see that in the way that we engage with one another, so the short version of that answer is, rubbish.”

Ms Ardern flew into the country last week to attend the 51st Pacific Islands Forum.