World Vision warns NZ is not prepared for growing Pacific climate displacement

• Nearly one million Pacific people displaced by climate disasters between 2010–2021
• New Zealand has no dedicated framework to manage cross-border disaster displacement
• New report calls for practical, Pacific-led solutions before pressures worsen

A new World Vision report is calling for New Zealand to take practical steps to better support Pacific peoples displaced by climate disasters.

In the ten years to 2021, nearly one million Pacific people were displaced due to extreme weather events and the humanitarian agency says this number will grow as storms, flooding and sea-level rise intensify.

The organisation today released a report, To Stay or Move with Dignity, which outlines the practical steps New Zealand could take to address climate and disaster-related displacement, while helping Pacific communities to remain safely on their land if possible.

World Vision New Zealand’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong says widespread displacement caused by climate disasters in the Pacific is no longer a future issue.

“Cyclones, floods, and rising seas are already disrupting lives across the Pacific, and children are often the first to feel the impacts through disrupted education, food insecurity, displacement, and loss of safety.

“Most Pacific peoples want to remain safely on their ancestral lands for as long as possible, but when movement becomes necessary, families should not be left navigating uncertainty or protection gaps alone,” she says.

World Vision’s report outlines a coordinated regional approach for New Zealand to offer greater support, including:

• Increasing Pacific-led climate finance and disaster risk reduction support
• Establishing an Emergency Protection Framework for people displaced across borders by disasters
• Adapting existing migration pathways, including the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme and Pacific Access Category, to better respond to climate and disaster pressures

Armstrong says New Zealand’s policy settings have not kept pace with the growing realities of climate and disaster-related displacement in the Pacific, with many more people seeking to come to New Zealand for climate-related reasons than current visa quotas allow for.

“Poorly managed displacement places pressure on communities, services, and regional resilience which is why early planning matters. We’re calling for New Zealand to do this work now so that we have systems in place that are safe, predictable, and well-supported,” Armstrong says.

The World Vision report emphasises that stronger investment in Pacific-led adaptation, resilience, climate finance, and disaster risk reduction must remain the first priority.

Manase Lua of the Pacific Leaders Forum says responses must be grounded in dignity, partnership, and Pacific priorities.

“We are people of the moana, connected by ocean, whakapapa, and responsibility to one another. Across our region, communities are already living this reality and what matters is that our people are not left without choice.

“Our people want to remain on their lands for as long as possible. But where movement becomes necessary, it must be planned and supported in ways that protect dignity, strengthen communities, and reflect Pacific leadership and partnership.”

World Vision is calling on political parties to address climate and disaster-related displacement in the Pacific as part of this year’s general election.

The organisation says immediate priorities should include strengthening Pacific disaster resilience, increasing climate finance, and establishing an independent Pacific-informed advisory mechanism to guide climate and disaster mobility policy including an emergency protection framework.