New Zealand joins in support of a specific objective within the Commitment: to mobilize financing and build capacity, with emphasis on community leadership, Indigenous and traditional knowledge, and technology transfer. The signature reflects New Zealand’s role as a partner to reef-holding nations across the Pacific, including through its support for the Global Fund for Coral Reefs.
“Healthy coral reefs are vital to the Pacific. Through our partnership with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, we are mobilizing investment that strengthens reef resilience, supports sustainable businesses, and delivers benefits for local communities,” said New Zealand’s Minister of Climate Change, Hon Simon Watts.
The Commitment is the first global political pledge dedicated to protecting climate-resilient coral reefs—those identified through the best available science as having greater potential to withstand climate impacts and support broader reef recovery over time. Signatory governments undertake to protect reefs using the best available science and to integrate climate-resilient reefs into their national climate and biodiversity plans; to reduce local pressures such as overfishing, pollution, and unsustainable coastal development; to mobilize new finance for reef conservation and to track and report progress; and to ensure that solutions are equitable, inclusive, and grounded in local stewardship.
Finance is among the most significant constraints facing reef-holding nations. Many signatories are small island developing states where political commitment is achievable, but implementation depends on external support—technical capacity, long-term financing, and partnerships that outlast individual grant cycles. New Zealand’s focus on financing, capacity-building, and technology transfer speaks directly to that gap.
New Zealand’s decision builds on growing support from Pacific governments, including Australia, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.
Coral reefs are far more than marine ecosystems. Across the Pacific, they underpin food security and livelihoods, protect coastlines from waves and storms, sustain biodiversity, and are deeply intertwined with culture, identity, and traditional knowledge. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network’s Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025 estimates that the Pacific region covered by its assessment contains 65,350 km² of coral reefs, which is 26.2 percent of the world’s total reef area. This scale underscores the importance of regional cooperation and sustained support for the communities and countries working to protect reefs.
As governments approach COP31 in Antalya, New Zealand’s support adds to a growing call for the long-term finance, political commitment, and partnership needed to turn reef protection into lasting action.
“New Zealand values its partnership with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs and looks forward to working with the Climate Resilient Coral Reef Commitment and its signatories to further strengthen efforts to safeguard coral reef ecosystem,” Hon Simon Watts said.
