NZ Dispatches Naval Ship to Solomon Islands Ahead of Contentious Elections

The Solomons national government has been a key ally of Beijing and the result of the election will be closely watched.

The New Zealand flag flies during the Ataturk Memorial Service in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 25, 2018. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand will send its HMNZS Canterbury, with two helicopters and crew, to the Solomon Islands ahead of the small Pacific nations’ national elections next month.

The ship left on March 26 and is part of a NZ$10.8 million (US$6.48 million) support programme for the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission announced in January.