Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a four-country tour of the Pacific later this week.

The delegation includes Jenny Salesa, who chairs Labour’s Pacific caucus, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade select committee chair Tim van de Molen and the Green’s member on the committee, Teanau Tuiono .

They will visit Fiji to coincide with the Pacific Islands Forum foreign ministers’ meeting and then go on to the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

Mr Peters says the Pacific is a major focus of New Zealand’s foreign policy, and it is important to get out into the region and spend time with all members of the Pacific family.

His goal is to visit all other 17 members of the Pacific Islands Forum during 2024, and this visit will mean 14 so far.

The delegation departs New Zealand on Thursday and returns on the morning of Friday August 16.