The Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Greg Urwin, says member nations need strong and ethical leadership and better laws to deal with security issues.
Representatives from around the region were given the message at a two day Forum committee meeting in Auckland on security issues.
Susanna Gordon from New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says there are specific issues being addressed this afternoon.
"An integrated approach to border management and some regional co-operation efforts on that. We'll also be talking about efforts to increase police capacity and regional programmes in that area. There's going to be specific recommendations probably on meeting counter-terrorism obligations and how the region can do better on that."
Ms Gordon says there's a wide range of practical programmes that have been agreed and will be overseen by the Forum Secretariat.
She says tomorrow delegates will discuss leadership development and the root causes of instability, including possibly the issue of land registration.
