Mr Locke, the party's spokesman on foreign affairs and No 6 on the party list, was in Dunedin yesterday to speak at the University of Otago about trade, aid and human rights.
Keeping climate issues at the forefront during an economic crisis was a "challenge" and there was a temptation to look at narrow solutions to a crisis.
However, there was a growing body of people in New Zealand and around the world who realised there was a need to look after the future of the planet, a Green Party philosophy.
"If we just sort of go into our shells and don't deal with these issues, we run the risk that, in two to three years' time, we will come out of this recession, and the price of oil skyrockets, and we are worse off than we already are."
New Zealand needed to be seen as a moral leader internationally, he said.
Although Kiwis had a reasonable reputation, Mr Locke said, there was a lot more they could do, particularly in terms of the amount of aid they gave as part of New Zealand's gross national income.
New Zealand could follow the example of some Scandinavian countries, which were already beyond international targets for aid.
Mr Locke said an Act NZ policy which would repeal a ban on nuclear-powered allied ships visiting NZ waters was just trying to appeal to the US Administration.
Nuclear-powered ships normally meant military ships and there was no reason for them to visit New Zealand waters, he said.
As for the likelihood of Barack Obama becoming the next US president and what it would mean for relations with New Zealand, Mr Locke said he expected relations would improve as the president would come in at a time of flux.
The US could no longer afford to be arrogant which could mean it would be more willing to be involved in collective arrangements.
