The New Zealand government’s handling of the Fiji situation has shown an appalling lack of imagination and exposed the brazen double standards it applies in its international relations.

It sheepishly kowtows to China’s every whim, despite its continuing human rights violations, even inventing childishly naïve reasons for not meeting with the likes of the Dalai Lama when he is a visitor to this country known far and wide for its warm and friendly peace loving people.

It has officially hosted dictators like former Pakistan strongman Pervez Musharraf with absolutely no qualms whatsoever and has refrained from making official official statements on other “undemocratic” events even in the Pacific Rim, such as the Thai coup.

Yet it has been stubborn in its unwillingness to look at the dynamics of what led to the Fiji situation despite being in a position to know better because of its long and deep involvement in the Pacific Islands region.

All along in the years since December 2006, it has failed to accept that the single pronged “restore democracy now or else” strategy was never going to work. It refuses to accept that its ill-advised persistence in following that tack of feverishly campaigning to isolate Fiji was always doomed to fail and has long come unstuck.

This has forced the Fijian administration to seek and cement friendships from the likes of China, Indonesia and other Asian powers, that have been only too willing to to oblige because of Fiji’s strategic location in the South Pacific.

Thanks to their expanding exclusive economic zones because of changes wrought by the redrawing of their continental shelf boundaries under the provisions of the UN Law of the Sea, the islands are hot property for resource hungry nations. Several island nations, along with Fiji, have opened their territories – both on land and the seabed – to prospecting firms from distant nations.

By sticking to its unrealistic, single demand of “restoring democracy” in Fiji, without the changes that are needed to turn its polity into one based on true democratic principles, New Zealand has missed the South Pacific boat, now helmed by the likes of China.

Enough has been written about how brazenly corrupt, blatantly racist and undemocratic the deposed Fijian government was. Its former members and supporters, now living overseas are demanding a return to that kind of administration.

And the Australian and New Zealand governments have played into their hands by handing out the visa to turncoat military man Tevita Mara. The action smacks of desperation at the failure of this isolationist strategy.

New Zealand’s reasoning for handing the man a visa despite knowing his racist past and that he was involved in beatings during the early days of the regime are as vacuous as its reasons for looking the other way in the face of its big red friend’s human rights abuses.

It has displayed appalling casuistry by bending every rule that it has put in place as regards travel to New Zealand for Fijian nationals associated with the administration – whether they are sportspeople or simply passengers wishing to transit through, though Murray McCully has said his ministry has been making exceptions regularly on a case-by-case basis.

A big opportunity looms in the form of the Rugby World Cup for New Zealand to change tack and bring Fiji back on the democratic track. Both are rugby mad nations and the sports arena could well be the setting of a new beginning. The governments of both countries could potentially earn enormous goodwill of the entire region.

There is some hope this will happen. In the past few weeks, the Fijian administration has been at pains to put out news releases about holding elections in September 2014. On his part, Mr MuCully has offered New Zealand’s assistance in redrawing electoral boundaries, compiling lists and helping with the election process.

Making it possible for Fijian players and fans to visit New Zealand without restrictions during the world cup in exchange for working with Fiji and convince it to stick to its September 2014 promise by providing it with the wherewithal to achieve that goal would be a win-win for all.