New Zealand is “highly likely” to join the newly-formed Australia-Fiji defence alliance, David Seymour confirmed on Monday, speaking in his position as acting prime minister.

Australian and Fijian leaders signed the mutual defence agreement known as the Ocean of Peace Alliance last week. At the time, prime minister Christopher Luxon told RNZ that New Zealand was interested in joining the alliance: “New Zealand being in early would be a good thing, because you would have an ability to ultimately determine which other countries could join from across the Pacific.”

Asked whether joining might antagonise China, The Post reported that Luxon declined to engage with the premise, saying only that in the event Fiji were attacked, “Australia has said that they now have an ally relationship and they would backstop them, and vice versa.”

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