The New Zealand Institute of International Affairs says the country should pay more attention to developments in its immediate neighbourhood.
The institute will today hold a seminar in Wellington to look at diplomacy, defence and development issues affecting New Zealand and the Pacific.
The Institute's director, Gerald McGhie, says the speakers include the foreign minister, Phil Goff, and the vice chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, Savenaca Siwatibau.
"We do really think it's time that New Zealanders gave as much effort to thinking about the Pacific and dealing with the Pacific as they give to some of the other issues - particularly delaing with that rather amorphus concept called Asia."
Gerald McGhie