'I said no': Samoan PM told Luxon treaty refresh must wait until new NZ government elected

RNZ Pacific sraff Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa's Prime Minister La'aulialemalietoa (La'auli) Leuatea Schmidt paused talks on a refreshed treaty with New Zealand until after the New Zealand general election, despite Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's request to "proceed with it". La'auli made the revelation at a cocktail function supporting the 'visa on arrival' campaign led by prominent Aotearoa community leader Anae Arthur Anae in Apia last week, according to a report by the Samoa Observer. According to the Samoa Observer, Anae was in Samoa seeking signatures for changes to New Zealand's immigration arrangements for Samoans.

He has become a leading campaigner for immigration reform for Pacific Islanders. "Regarding the Treaty of Friendship that was being prepared, Luxon wanted me to go ahead and proceed with it, but I said no," La'auli was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "I told him to wait until the (NZ) election is fully concluded and to see who the new Prime Minister is; only then will I have a 'fair' go at whoever will be newly elected. " The Treaty of Friendship between Samoa and New Zealand is the principal bilateral agreement between the two nations. It is a unique partnership, signed in August 1962 after Samoa gained independence from New Zealand. The newspaper reported that the Samoan prime minister said he was preparing proposals to "refresh and refine" Samoa's relationship with…