A Statement of Partnership between Tonga and New Zealand was signed today 6 December by Prime Minister Pohiva Tu‘i‘onetoa and New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, in New Zealand’s capital Wellington.

The details of the agreement were not revealed but according to Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters who released a media statement today, the agreement set out “joint priorities for cooperation out to 2023”,

"We welcomed Prime Minister Tu‘i‘onetoa on his first visit to New Zealand as Prime Minister. Tonga is one of our closest neighbors and we look forward to working with Prime Minster Tu‘i‘onetoa and his new government

"During Prime Minister Tu‘i‘onetoa's visit we discussed a range of bilateral issues including security cooperation, economic development, and health and education, as well as regional and global challenges such as climate change.”