Prime Minister John Key has defended New Zealand's record on climate change, on his arrival at this year's annual Pacific Islands Forum in the Marshall Islands.
The northern Pacific nation is vulnerable to rising seas and drought, and there are fears Marshallese will have to abandon the low lying atolls within the next 20 years.
Mr Key says New Zealand is doing its bit through its Kyoto commitment, and its help for the likes of renewable energy projects around the Pacific.
He says New Zealand would also lend a hand, if it ever came to relocation.
However, Mr Key says any such scenario is not likely to happen for many decades.
Funds hard to get, says Tuvalu PM
Tuvalu prime minister Enele Sopoaga says it is difficult for small island nations to get the funds they need to counter the effects of climate change.
Mr Sopoaga, who was also speaking ahead of the summit, says there is too much talk and not enough action to combat climate change.
He says people in low lying nations such as Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and Kiribati are already suffering the effects of climate change but it is hard for them to access the international funds set aside for adaptation measures.
