Maori delegation to Fiji on hold after Key's intervention

Prime Minister John Key has put the brakes on the Maori Party's idea of sending a Maori delegation to Fiji to try to mediate with Commodore Frank Bainimarama.

Mr Key said he had spoken to Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples yesterday and expressed his preference that New Zealand spoke with "one voice" on Fiji, "and that's the Government's."

Mr Key said the Maori Party had been "well intentioned" and he had not demanded they drop the idea, although he had said it was his preference that it not go ahead and believed Dr Sharples understood his point.

"I don't think you'll see them travelling to Fiji."

It followed Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia's revelation that the party was considering sending a delegation to Fiji, which has just been suspended from the Pacific Islands Forum.

Mrs Turia had also criticised the Government's approach, saying she believed Commodore Bainimarama had good intentions and should be heard.

New Zealand and Australia have faced criticism for using "megaphone diplomacy" on their approach to Fiji, demanding it commit to elections.

Mr Key said New Zealand's approach was in tune with that of the other 14 countries in the forum who unanimously backed the proposal for suspension if Fiji did not commit to elections this year.

He ruled out the prospect of face-to-face talks with Commodore Bainimarama, saying New Zealand preferred to continue its dialogue with Fiji through the Pacific Forum.

However, he said if there was a "direct request" from Bainimarama and the Government believed he was committed to elections before 2014, "of course we would have discussions as I'm sure other Pacific leaders would."

He said the Commodore had repeatedly been given the chance to explain his position face to face with other Pacific leaders but had refused to do so, pulling out of meetings in Niue last year and Papua New Guinea in January, where the suspension was decided.

Successive New Zealand governments have invested time and resources to try to help Fiji back to democracy and this country continues to promise financial and technical help once it commits to elections.

New Zealand has done most its work as part of wider regional efforts through the forum, taking part in a group of foreign ministers which has twice visited Fiji.

Senior officials are on another group set up to engage with the interim government to find ways to return to democracy and looking at the "long-term issues in Fiji".

Prime ministers had also attended three forum meetings where Fiji was a dominating issue. On a country-to-country level, in 2006 New Zealand was involved in trying to avert the coup by organising a meeting in New Zealand between Commodore Bainimarama and now ousted Prime Minister Qarase.

It gave $5.3 million in aid towards building Fiji's electoral system to help it hold its 2006 elections. While much of the aid going directly to the government had halted after the coup, money was still being given to allow Land Information Systems to map new electoral boundaries.

Australia had also provided practical help, including funding the Supervisor of Elections appointed last year, New Zealander Felicity Heffernan.

The position is understood to have been disestablished in the aftermath of President Josefa Iloilo abrogating the Constitution and saying elections would not be held until 2014.

At a political level, former foreign affairs minister Winston Peters and current minister Murray McCully have held bilateral meetings with the Commodore.

Both Mr McCully and Mr Key were also in contact with the Commodore to try to persuade him to attend the forum meeting in Papua New Guinea in January after he pulled out to deal with the aftermath of floods in Fiji.