The balance of power in the Pacific has shifted, and it is not in New Zealand’s favour.

China's Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi has been on a marathon tour across the Pacific Islands - as Beijing tried to close a sweeping trade and security deal with 10 countries in the region.

If successful, it would have tied the region much closer to Beijing. Ultimately, it was shelved after many states declined to sign.

But the move - so soon after China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands - has left Western Governments rattled. While not inevitable, we are closer to a Chinese military base in the South Pacific than at any time in recent memory.

New Zealand was sucker-punched by both developments. There were not the headlines Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was hoping for on her meticulously orchestrated PR mission to re-sell New Zealand to the world.

Just as the Government was hoping for a foreign policy win, it was found desperately wanting in this area.

Former Foreign Minister Winston Peters – who launched a Pacific Reset in 2018 – has accused the Government of neglecting our neighbours. His predecessor, Gerry Brownlee also lamented the decline in relationships, arguing New Zealand has “missed the boat” in preserving traditional ties.

Both men were scathing about Nanaia Mahuta’s performance in the portfolio.

Indubitably, this is the posturing of political rivals. But the criticism is not without validity.

And tellingly, it is shared by those in diplomatic circles. There has long been a suspicion that Mahuta lacked a hunger for the role. It is said that while she is meticulous in consuming the detail of briefings, she seems to have no natural curiosity about international relations.

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In a world where visits are the ultimate weapon of diplomacy, concerns are quietly being raised about an absence of desire to visit our Pacific neighbours.

Needless to say, the coronavirus pandemic badly hit diplomacy. But the Government was noticeably missing in action on face-to-face engagements – especially when compared with (now former) Australian senior ministers Scott Morrison, Peter Dutton and Marise Payne who were globetrotting from last winter.

Morrison was said to talk weekly to Pacific leaders, and Payne was laser-focused on vaccine delivery to certain Pacific islands. As soon as it became clear that the West was losing the battle for influence, Penny Wong was in the air.

The new foreign minister has touched down in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga since being sworn in last month.

Mahuta’s heavy workload is partly to blame: she is also local government minister, undertaking major reforms in both water services and democracy and governance. Ardern could not spare her for 14 days in hotel quarantine. But with travel restrictions now eased, there is a feeling the Pacific should have been a priority.

Instead, Mahuta has made one trip to the islands in her role – a visit to Fiji in late March.

Her debut visit was a 17-day, six country fling through Australia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the US and Canada in November. In February, she spent 11 days in Paris, London and Geneva (in the Swiss city she attended an Indo-Pacific Forum).

Mahuta is not alone in her neglect of the region. Since the borders re-opened, there has been a flood of ministers leaving – but mainly for Europe and Asia.

Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio was in Suva this week – but to talk oceans policy, not China.

It is a curious slide. After decades of neglect and the manipulation of aid for political purposes, New Zealand campaigned for a seat on the UN Security Council by emphasising strategic ties to our Pacific neighbours.The Peters ‘reset’ pumped in more than $700m in investment to the region and shored up representation with more than a dozen new diplomatic posts.

But as Covid preoccupied Ardern’s administration, a vacuum developed. One which China was ripe to exploit as it continues its expansionist policies. Its ‘soft’ power and cheque book diplomacy is difficult for economically fragile island nations to resist, especially when the phone is off the hook in Wellington.