Covid-19: Winston Peters 'personally' supports Taiwan rejoining WHO

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says he personally thinks that Taiwan should re-join the World Health Organisation (WHO) - but New Zealand itself doesn't have a view.

His answer follows the prime minister ducking the contentious international question at a press conference on Tuesday.

Key allies Australia and the United States have shifted their weight behind the move.

The question is a delicate one given fraught relations between China and Taiwan, and growing tension between the USA and China over China's handling of Covid-19.

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In a reversal of earlier support, US President Donald Trump has blamed China for failing to move quickly enough to contain the virus, launching a retaliatory move to return Taiwan to the WHO, with Australian support.

Taiwan had observer status of the WHO from 2009 until 2016, when it was withdrawn under pressure from China.

Taiwan, like Australia and New Zealand, is being hailed as a coronavirus success story.

In January, Taiwan moved quickly to cancel flights to China in the early phases of the virus' spread, enacting plans that have limited the country to just six deaths through the pandemic.

Australia and the USA argue that Taiwan's membership of the WHO would assist global response to Covid-19 and future pandemics.

For the moment, New Zealand is refusing to join fellow 'Five Eyes' members Australia, the USA and Canada in the push.

Ardern declined to offer a view on the position, saying she was focused on the local response.

Peters took a different view, declaring himself a supporter.

"I always have (been)," he said.

"You've got to have every population of the world in the WHO if it's going to have any meaning."

Peters then clarified this was his opinion "personally" without sharing the country's actual position.

"I'll let you know when we make a formal announcement," he said.

Ardern was similarly dismissive.

"WHO membership is not something I've spent a lot of time thinking about at present," she said.

"It's not my decision around WHO membership as a collective institution. There's a much wider body that makes these decisions."