Key and Bainimarama to share box at Eden Park

NEW ZEALAND – A former Fiji MP says the Prime Minister’s visits this week to Australia and New Zealand is mainly to shore up support for his party at the next election.

Frank Bainimarama is in Australia, where he made announcements regarding Fiji and Australian rugby deals, and is due later in the week to attend the Bledisloe Cup match in Auckland on Saturday night.

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama will be sitting in a corporate box alongside John Key watching the All Blacks take on Australia on Saturday night.

He will also meet with Fijian groups in Auckland, as he did in Australia, and Tupeni Baba says he hopes John Key realises what the motivation is.

“He will carry the same message, which is to urge the citizens of Fiji living there, to support the Fiji constitution and Fiji First in particular.

“Whatever other things that might be done, I’m sure the prime minister of New Zealand knows that this is a pre-election visit, talking about rugby and nothing more.”

Bainimarama will receive a state welcome at Government House in Auckland on Saturday, followed by bilateral talks with Key before they both head to the Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park that night.

This will be Bainimarama’s first official visit to New Zealand as Prime Minister and follows Key’s visit to Fiji in June, which kicked off with a slap-down by Bainimarama, who raised 10 years worth of personal grievances on Key’s arrival.

It’s understood Bainimarama is still seething about a number of historical issues and it’s unknown how he might react during official talks.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Fijian leader Frank Bainimarama met in New York last year.

Key’s not concerned about his counter-part kicking off and isn’t interested in relitigating old grievances.

“As far as I can see he’s never going to change his view that he was justified in what he did and I’m not going to change our view that we don’t agree with people assuming authority through the barrel of a gun.”

Key said last week that going to Fiji in June was about being the “bigger person in the relationship” and putting New Zealand’s “best foot forward”.

Bainimarama has a long-held grudge against New Zealand over the way he was treated when he took control of Fiji in a military coup.

At the time the country was handed serious sanctions until a democratic election was held.

Bainimarama still refuses to attend the annual Pacific Islands’ Forum because of Australia and New Zealand’s presence – he was recently invited back to the forum after being banned.

However, Bainimarama is a big fan of rugby and has long been planning his first visit to coincide with an All Blacks test.

He will also take part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and it’s understood Bainimarama will also stay on beyond his state visit for personal reasons.

It’s likely Bainimarama will raise questions about the number of Fijians currently recruited through the RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer) programme. Fiji were late to the party joining the RSE given the door was closed to them until democracy was restored.

RSE is designed to allow horticulture and viticulture businesses meet seasonal labour shortages by hiring overseas workers, mostly from the Pacific – 9000 visas are granted annually.

Key said there was “high demand” for RSE workers and he considered Fijians to be “good workers”.

“The main message we’ve been taking to other countries that send workers to New Zealand – Vanuatu, Tonga and the likes, has been that their workers do a good job in New Zealand. They’re well regarded and welcomed and that will be the same message for him.” - PNC