Foreign Minister Winston Peters off to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling to the United States, where he is set to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, among others, in Washington DC.

Peters said the meetings would advance New Zealand's diplomatic, security and economic interests and facilitate greater mutual understanding of each country's respective priorities.

"We intend to discuss our shared commitments to cooperate in the Pacific and Indo-Pacific, as well as significant international developments - particularly the conflict in the Middle East and its impacts on our region," Peters said

Peters said the current global context was the most challenging New Zealand had faced in the past 80 years.

"In times as complex as these, we highly value opportunities to meet face-to-face."

Peters' trip comes just days after Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke announced she would not be travelling to an International Monetary Fund event in Washington DC due to global events and the struggle for people at home to pay for fuel.

Finance minister Nicola Willis said the conflict was affecting the global economy in "profound ways" and she expected Peters would raise it.

"I expect that they will discuss that conflict, its trajectory, and in particular, that our foreign minister will share perspectives about how it's affecting our country, our people, our region, because it is the case that those effects are very negative, and it's important that the United States hear that perspective."

Peters will return to New Zealand on 10 April.

Peters positioning NZ

Waikato University Professor Al Gillespie told RNZ that on the visit, Peters will be trying improve a relationship with the US that has been challenged in recent times.

"For me, it's slipped. And that's because of the unpredictability of Mr Trump. But the relationship with America is longstanding - we're not a military ally, but we are good friends."

It was important also for the government to be aware countries that spoke out against the US president often faced consequences, Gillespie said.

"Positioning your country so that you don't get an economic backhand is also very important, because Mr Trump is quite prone to use tariffs to achieve his political objectives,"

But the escalation in Iran would put pressure on the government to form a hard stance on the war, he said.

"A lot of our response so far has been trying not to offend Mr Trump.

"That would be a difficult path to take if the war escalates."

The government would also need to consider what its involvement would be in helping peacekeeping efforts in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, if and when the conflict concludes, he added.

Peters was already coming off a big win, Gillespie said.

"When Mr Peters managed to get the Cook Islands back into the fold, that was a huge success.

"A lot of the Pacific has become quite political right now, and to try to get a country to come back towards its traditional alliances ... is highly commendable."

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