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Summarised by Centrist
Defence Minister Chris Penk says New Zealand should have a “conversation” about its long-standing anti-nuclear stance, as Australia prepares to acquire nuclear-powered submarines through the AUKUS agreement.
Penk said New Zealanders have traditionally been sceptical about nuclear weapons, but suggested nuclear propulsion may be a different question.
Speaking to Bloomberg Television at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Penk said it would be useful to consider “the extent to which that’s different to nuclear propulsion”.
Australia is working with the US and Britain to build and equip a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, expected to be deployed in the 2030s.
New Zealand’s nuclear-free policy has been in law since 1987, after the Labour government blocked a planned US ship visit because Washington would not say whether the vessel was nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed.
Penk’s comments suggest the government may be willing to reopen a politically sensitive debate over whether nuclear-powered vessels should be treated differently from nuclear weapons.
He also linked recent global instability to New Zealand’s defence spending plans. Asked about the war in Iran, Penk said recent events showed “the perils of instability” and could mean New Zealand brings forward its planned spending.
Penk told Reuters New Zealand was aiming for a “smooth and steady upward trajectory” to reach 2 per cent of GDP within eight years, while allowing for “peaks and troughs” as major platforms are purchased.
“We might be bringing forward, if anything, the amount of spending that we’ve indicated,” he said.
The comments come as the US pushes allies to spend more on defence. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently said countries spending less than 3.5 per cent of GDP were “freeloading” off American taxpayers and said New Zealand’s planned increase to 2 per cent was “not enough”. Asked if New Zealand was freeloading, Hegseth replied: “2% is not enough so 2% is freeloading.”
New Zealand faces growing pressure to define its role alongside traditional security partners, particularly as Australia moves deeper into the AUKUS defence pact.
Read more over at Bloomberg and Stuff
Image: errolgc
