Defence Minister Ron Mark is hopeful China "adheres to openness and transparency" like New Zealand, as the Defence Force warns against "geostrategic competition" in the Pacific.

The minister launched the Defence Force's Advancing Pacific Partnerships 2019 paper on Tuesday, which outlines challenges facing the region, including competition for influence.

"New Zealand and Pacific Island countries are confronting a series of complex disrupters, which include climate change, transnational organised crime, and resource competition", the paper says.

"More will be expected of New Zealand Defence on all of these challenges," it adds. "Countering these disrupters is significant for the maintenance of regional security."

It goes on to say these disrupters will intersect with "greater competition for influence in the Pacific", adding that "external actors seeking to enhance their regional presence may leverage these issues as vectors of influence".

The Defence Force has pointed to China as a threat before with a policy document last year warning of its "alternative model of democracy" that challenges "international governance values and norms".

While the latest report doesn't name China, the minister didn't shy away from mentioning the superpower during a media briefing after the report's launch in Wellington.

"I think China is an important player in the Pacific and one that should not be ignored," Mark, a New Zealand First MP, said.

"What's important is we all need to understand that at the end of the day, the countries which will determine who they engage with will be the Pacific Island nations themselves."