Relationship dossier
New Zealand
Vanuatu
Relationship assessment
Practical partnership spanning development assistance, disaster response and seasonal labor mobility.
New Zealand toward Vanuatu
+35New Zealand has provided development and disaster-response assistance to Vanuatu, including after major cyclones. It also provides seasonal work opportunities to Vanuatu citizens through the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme.
Vanuatu toward New Zealand
+30Vanuatu participates in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, with Vanuatu citizens taking seasonal jobs in New Zealand. The two governments have also engaged through bilateral partnership and cooperation on regional issues.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship is characterized by recurring practical cooperation, particularly New Zealand assistance to Vanuatu and Vanuatu’s participation in New Zealand’s seasonal labor scheme. These arrangements provide a durable basis for engagement, although the breadth and implementation of other cooperation are less clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
New Zealand and Vanuatu maintain practical cooperation in development assistance, disaster response and seasonal labor mobility. New Zealand has provided assistance to Vanuatu, including after major cyclones, while Vanuatu participates in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme. The relationship also includes high-level bilateral engagement, though the scope and implementation of some cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
New Zealand provided disaster-response assistance to Vanuatu following severe cyclones.
Vanuatu participated in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, enabling seasonal employment for Vanuatu citizens.
The two governments held high-level bilateral engagement on their partnership and regional cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and current priorities of New Zealand’s development cooperation with Vanuatu are unclear.
- The details and implementation of bilateral arrangements beyond seasonal labor mobility are unclear.