Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama will be allowed into New Zealand briefly en-route to the Pacific Islands Forum next week.

Stuff.co confirmed that the New Zealand Foreign Affairs Ministry officials said that the travel ban imposed on Bainimarama and members of his interim government would be relaxed to enable Bainimarama and officials to transit through Auckland Airport on their way to Niue where the forum is being held.

The New Zealand Foreign Ministry defended the decision to relax the rules on the grounds that the forum wanted an update from Fiji on its previous pledge to hold an election by March, 2009.