“The pressures are different.”
Wayne Mapp was New Zealand’s Defence Minister from 2008 to 2011. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Mapp said New Zealand pays a premium for most things here and abroad because of its geographical isolation, but its distance from major geopolitical flashpoints also provides a significant security buffer.
“New Zealand is also the most secure country in the entire planet … We’re further away from any other country,” he said.
“You would expect us to take at least some advantage of that fact.”
Despite the New Zealand Defence Force’s relatively small size and unique operating demands, Mapp said it delivers outsized value in specialist areas, particularly peacekeeping and special operations.
“So kind of a bit like the Olympics – we specialise, we focus and then we do really well.”
At the same time, Mapp acknowledged that defence capability has not expanded in line with New Zealand’s growth.
New Zealand journalist and foreign affairs expert Anna Fifield asked US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth if he considered New Zealand a “free rider” on defence.
He said the NZDF today remains broadly similar in scale and capability to what it was at the start of the century.
“Nevertheless, we’re living in a different world now, and we do need to step up,” he said.
He pointed across the Tasman to increases in defence investment as something New Zealand should pay close attention to.
“Australia has stepped up a huge amount. They are the ones that we really need to be taking note of, because they’re actually our only formal ally, and allies do owe duties to each other.”
Responding to a question from New Zealand journalist and foreign affairs expert Anna Fifield – who writes the Between Giants global affairs newsletter on Substack – about whether New Zealand’s planned funding boost was sufficient, Hegseth said it wasn’t enough, so “2% is freeloading”.
“[Allies] can’t just say, ‘Oh, we’ve been friends for a long time, so let’s work together.’ It’s, ‘We’ve been friends for a long time so you better have the same visibility as we do, because if we don’t, our alliance is meaningless’,” he said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Photo / Getty Images
“That’s the kind of realism President Trump has asked me to inject into all relationships.”
New Zealand’s Defence Minister Chris Penk was listening in the audience as Hegseth made the comments, just two days after New Zealand laid out a financial plan aimed at boosting defence spending to just over 2% of GDP over eight years.
Hegseth noted he didn’t have anything against New Zealand and was looking forward to working with Penk and “enhancing capabilities”, adding the bilateral relationship “has been a very fruitful one for a very long time”.
In a statement to NZME, Penk said there was a clear need to increase defence spending after decades of underfunding.
“This year’s Budget continues New Zealand’s commitment to doubling our defence spend. In the past two budgets alone we have committed $5.8 billion of additional funding.
“New Zealand has a clear trajectory on defence spend. The Government has said that this is a floor, not a ceiling, as our fiscal circumstances allow.
“When we released our Defence Capability Plan last year, we committed to reviewing it every two years so that innovation, new technologies, and emerging risks can be considered.
“The review also allows a staircase approach to investment, so we can adapt as the world around us changes. The US is a long-standing, important security partner for New Zealand. The current administration has been clear and consistent about its expectations of all partners. Its position is no surprise.
“The US has also recognised New Zealand’s stepped-up contribution to security and stability in our region. I welcomed the opportunity to meet Secretary Hegseth today in Singapore where we discussed our close cooperation, and I look forward to continuing this partnership.”
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