New Zealand’s defense minister warned in an interview that small countries in the South Pacific face growing pressure from great power competition for their rare minerals and fisheries wealth, and that more action was needed from regional neighbors to help in preserving island nations' sovereignty. Judith Collins, who also oversees New Zealand’s intelligence and space portfolios, spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday before departing for Washington D.C., where she will meet Trump administration officials including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. New Zealand, a nation of 5 million in the South Pacific, is part of a vast region of mostly small island countries once seen as remote from global tensions.