Geostrategic Change, Old Friends and New Challenges in the Pacific Islands

Former New Zealand Ambassador Rosemary Banks and Pacific security academic Dr. Anna Powles share Pacific Islands geostrategic insights.
About this Event

The Pacific Islands are navigating an increasingly complex geostrategic environment, shaped by strategic competition, security concerns, climate impacts, and evolving partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.

Join former New Zealand Ambassador to the US Rosemary Banks and Pacific security academic Dr. Anna Powles for a discussion on these developments, the importance of longstanding relationships, and the emerging challenges and opportunities for the Pacific.

Featured Speakers

Ambassador Rosemary Banks is one of New Zealand’s most distinguished diplomats, with more than four decades of experience in international affairs, security, development, and economic diplomacy. She has served as Ambassador to the United States, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador to France and Portugal, Permanent Representative to the OECD, Chair of the NZUS Council, and Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She also served as a Crown negotiator for Treaty of Waitangi settlements, leading negotiations between the New Zealand Government and Māori iwi to resolve historical claims and strengthen Crown–Māori relations.
Rosemary currently serves as Director of the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships Pacific Diplomatic Training Programme, which brings together emerging diplomats from across the Pacific to strengthen regional diplomatic capability and cooperation. In this role, she works closely with Pacific governments, regional institutions, and foreign affairs practitioners to support the development of the next generation of Pacific diplomatic leaders.
Rosemary holds a First Class Honours MA in Russian from the University of Canterbury and an MSc from the London School of Economics. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Canterbury in recognition of her distinguished contribution to public service and international diplomacy.

Dr. Anna Powles is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, New Zealand, and is internationally recognized for her expertise on Indo-Pacific security, Pacific geopolitics, defense diplomacy, and New Zealand foreign and defense policy.
She currently co-leads the Defence Diplomacy in the Pacific project, the first comprehensive study mapping defense engagement across Pacific Island countries, and is a chief investigator on an Australian Research Council project examining the Australia–New Zealand partnership in the Pacific. Her research has been published in leading international journals and has informed policy work for organizations including RAND, the Lowy Institute, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), and RUSI.
Anna serves as a Non-Resident Fellow with NBR and an Expert Associate of the National Security College at the Australian National University. She also contributes to regional security policy through leadership roles with the Pacific Dialogue on Security and Geopolitics and the International Code of Conduct Association.
Prior to entering academia, Anna worked on humanitarian crises and security sector reform with the United Nations, international NGOs, and the International Crisis Group. She holds a PhD from the Australian National University.