New Zealand rejects Trump’s invitation to join Gaza’s Board of Peace

Prime minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that New Zealand will not join US president Donald Trump’s Board of Peace amid caution among America’s Western allies over the Gaza initiative.

The New Zealand government said it will need more clarity on the board which aims to supplant the UN after it sparked concerns over its true intent going forward. The board’s draft charter does not mention the Gaza conflict.

"The government has considered President Trump's invitation and has decided not to join the Board of Peace in its current form,” Mr Luxon said on Friday.

Mr Luxon said he agreed with the foreign ministry’s position to reject the invitation and said all three coalition parties were aligned.

The US president launched the Board of Peace last week, which was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza. But its true intent has caused confusion and concerns among Western allies of the US after Mr Trump said he envisages a broader role involving other global powers.

The board’s broad language has fuelled concern among other countries that it could be an attempt by Mr Trump to create an alternative to the United Nations, at a time when he has withdrawn the United States from dozens of UN agencies, including the World Health Organisation earlier this month.

Foreign minister Winston Peters said on X that it was important that the board’s work was "complementary to and consistent" with the UN Charter for Gaza.

“A number of states, particularly from the region, have stepped up to contribute to the Board’s role on Gaza, and New Zealand would not add significant further value to that,” he wrote.

“It is a new body, and we need clarity on this, and on other questions relating to its scope, now and in the future. New Zealand will not be joining the Board in its current form but will continue to monitor developments,” he added.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins called out the prime minister for “being too polite" about the invitation, calling the delay an “absolute disgrace”.

"Not joining the Board of Peace is absolutely the right thing to do, it's preposterous Christopher Luxon would even consider it.

"The idea that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin can sit around a table and decide on one nation's peace while they wage their own wars is absurd."

Britain and a host of other major US allies snubbed Mr Trump’s high-profile signing ceremony to kickstart his Gaza initiative.

Canada, Italy, and a series of other Western powers swerved the event at the World Economic Forum in Davos. France, Norway and Sweden have indicated they will not join.

The board describes itself as “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”.

Membership is limited to states invited by the chairman, Mr Trump, and willing to contribute $1bn for permanent status, although members can still be removed at his discretion.

The US president has insisted that his board will work alongside the UN, but his reassurances are struggling to hit their target after his threats against Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a Nato ally.

Mr Trump will also serve as the first American representative to the board – a position that will pass to his successor – but he’ll remain the board’s chairman for life.

Several Middle East and Asian countries have, however, joined the board, including Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. US says 35 countries have agreed to join the project, including Israel.