Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said China's construction infrastructure in the region had triggered concern small Pacific nations may be saddled with unsustainable debts.

"We want to be the natural partner of choice," she told Fairfax.

Those comments on Tuesday drew praise from New Zealand's Foreign Minister and soon-to-be acting prime minister Winston Peters.

"It's wonderful progress in terms of trans-Tasman agreement," he told reporters in Wellington.

And while New Zealand's last government was optimistic about the possibility of joining China's Belt and Road initiative, the current administration is taking a more cautious line.

Mr Peters said he had not yet seen enough information to make any decisions.

"We'd like to know a whole lot more before we make the kind of statements that the prior government made."

While New Zealand said there was no need to follow Australia on passing laws about political interference, the Turnbull and Ardern governments had moved closely together this year when it came to stumping up investment in the Pacific to keep other powers out.

Although he had not directly named China as a concern, Mr Peters had since March called for Australia and New Zealand to step up their work in the region and move to a partnership model with smaller Pacific neighbours.

His Ministry for Foreign Affairs received a $NZ714m ($A668 m) increase in its foreign aid coffers, over four years, in May's government budget - with most of the money expected to go to the Pacific.

Australian Associated Press