Part one of two.
The new NZ govt has signalled major defence changes that recognise the current geopolitical and geostrategic climate. It has already admitted that NZDF is in dire straits and needs reconstitution and greater financial resources. In the last two weeks much has been made in the media about this situation. The ANZMIN 2+2 has bought into the light what some of these changes will be and how the government sees the geostrategic situation. This along with other documentation released in recent days is beginning to shine some light on future government intentions.
On the same day the BIM (Briefing to Incoming Ministers) was released. The defence BIM was very sober reading because it clearly describes the sorry state of NZDF and discusses the future threats to NZ security and democracy.
www.defence.govt.nz
The Foreign Affairs BIM should also be read alongside the Defence BIM. It discusses the facts of the deteriorating strategic situation and includes a graphic displaying this calling it the Three Big Shifts.
Source: MFAT BIM 23 p15.
ANZMIN 2+2, Melbourne, 1/2/2024
The NZ & Australian Govts held the first ANZMIN 2+2 between the two countries. ANZMIN 2+2 involves the Foreign and Defence Ministers of both countries, held annually with this being an Australian practice. It already has such arrangements, in the same format, with the US (AUSMIN) & the UK (AUKMIN).
The important points (taken from the Joint Ministerial Statement) that directly impact NZDF are:
“5. Ministers affirmed their shared commitment to strengthen the Australia-New Zealand alliance to address evolving geostrategic challenges. They recognised a reinforced security alliance is crucial for safeguarding our national interests and contributing to the peace and prosperity of the IndoPacific.
7. Building on our Anzac history, Ministers committed to increasing integration between our military forces, including through common capability, exchanges of senior military officers and increased participation in warfighting exercises. Recognising the importance of the Pacific to both countries, Ministers agreed to continue efforts, in conjunction with Pacific countries, to strengthen regional cooperation and interoperability. Ministers also committed to enhancing joint deterrence efforts, including through joint exercises and training.
10. Beyond the bilateral links, Ministers reaffirmed the value of the Five Eyes partnership as a crucial enabler of intelligence sharing and security co-operation among trusted partners and expressed shared interest for a Five Eyes Defence Ministers’ Meeting later this year.”
To this end there will be closer seamless interoperability between the NZDF & ADF. Both Australian & NZ officials are to work on achieving such close interoperability. This means that there will be closer liaison and integration between the two countries regarding defence acquisitions with NZDF becoming more closely aligned to ADF platforms.
NZ has also stated its intention to participate in AUKUS Pillar II, which is not AUKUS Pillar I RAN nuclear powered submarines. Pillar II is more about technologies such as space, IT, hypersonic, laser technologies etc., that NZ can participate in. NZ already has a viable and burgeoning space industry that would be applicable to Pillar II. We design and launch our own satellites with a successful Rocket Lab launch complex on the Mahia Peninsula. Australia hasn’t had a successful satellite launch yet. Both countries have advantageous geographic areas for space launch facilities with NZ positioned to undertake good polar and mid latitude launches. Meanwhile Australia would be able to undertake equatorial launches using the earth’s equatorial spin help accelerate rockets into orbit.
Live Press Conference
LIVE: New Zealand and Australian foreign and defense ministers press conference | REUTERS
Ministerial Statement
JOINT STATEMENT ON AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND MINISTERIAL CONSULTATIONS (ANZMIN) 2024
This is from an article published by the NZ Herald today. It's paywalled but I have copied some of the salient paragraphs.
"The major political difficulty as far as New Zealand ministers are concerned, will be balancing the demands and responsibilities of a “partnership” framework with Australia with the challenge of upholding New Zealand’s vaunted and prized foreign policy independence. In other words, not being seen as a mere poodle to Australia and ultimately, the United States. To balance that potential – which is already being talked about by foreign affairs academic commentators, the two Cabinet ministers and their advisers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Defence may have to share much more information on a regular basis on regional security issues and outline more openly the jeopardy New Zealand may face if it does not step up. For far too long, politicians have fenced around on just what strategic threats New Zealand faces.
In Melbourne, the four ministers vowed to create two “seamless militaries” that will co-operate more closely as New Zealand moves towards being included in part of the Aukus trilateral security partnership between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
This makes sense given the parlous nature of New Zealand’s run-down defence establishment. …
It’s no secret Australia has long wanted New Zealand to step up and shoulder a more significant slice of the regional defence burden. Successive prime ministers and their diplomatic representatives have cajoled New Zealand on this score - and also our relationship with China.
But the frustrations are wider. During an informal lunch session, ministers were said to be openly exasperated at the cacophony of interventions by the “formers”. Former prime ministers like Labour’s Helen Clark, who has railed against the Luxon Government’s support for the United States’ missile strikes in Yemen and has denigrated as an “orchestrated campaign” the move to join pillar two. And Labor’s Paul Keating, who has savaged the $A368b nuclear submarine plan as the “worst deal in all history”, blasting defence and foreign affairs ministers Marles and Wong as “seriously unwise. Similar frustrations spilled over at a press conference for travelling New Zealand media, where Collins and Peters took issue with their Labour predecessors’ recent apparent about turn on Aukus (sic). They have a point."
Fran O'Sullivan raises some great points. It's not only former PMs who have been whinging, but also academic commentators. They are dead against us becoming involved in AUKUS Pillar II because they claim that we lose our independent foreign policy, but the much vaunted and heralded great kiwi independent foreign policy has always been a spurious mist of smoke and mirrors. We cannot cut ourselves off from others and our foreign policy has always been affected by what others around us do, especially the great powers.
Right on cue the PRC Ambassador in Wellington fired a broadside:
"The Chinese Embassy in Wellington has issued a scathing rebuke of a statement made by New Zealand and Australian ministers this week, saying they “strongly deplore and firmly oppose it”.
The remarks are in response to a joint statement by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins, nicknamed “Crusher Collins” from her policy when Minister of Police to crush the cars of speeding drivers, and their Australian counterparts Penny Wong and Richard Marles.
The four met in the inaugural ANZMIN, a new meeting format scheduled to be repeated annually.
The four ministers released a joint statement on Thursday, criticising China for the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong, and the repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The statement also indicated New Zealand was supportive of Australia’s Aukus deal with the United States and the United Kingdom to procure nuclear-powered submarines.
The scathing response to the statement, issued this afternoon by the Chinese Government made clear China’s displeasure and carried an implicit threat that the strong relations New Zealand currently enjoys with China might not continue if the Government continues its security and foreign affairs pivot towards Australia and the United States."
The embassy has responded strongly to a joint NZ-Oz statement criticising China.
www.nzherald.co.nz
The full PRC Embassy release is here Remarks by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand on the Joint Statement on ANZMIN 2024_The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in New Zealand(Cook Islands, Niue) (china-embassy.gov.cn). They definitely don't have a sense of humour about it.