New Zealand Tightens Defense Ties With Australia

The Diplomat

a day ago

The Luxon government is shoring up its relationship with its only ally, while also expanding its role in security groupings like NATO and the Five Eyes.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met in Queenstown, New Zealand, on August 9 to discuss closer cooperation between their militaries. This meeting, following the December 2024 bilateral meeting between their defense ministers, took place in the context of Australia and New Zealand feeling more directly threatened by China. In February, a Chinese naval flotilla fired weapons in the Tasman Sea and the Chinese naval mission partially circumnavigated Australia.
In the section on security and resilience, the joint statement recognized that the two countries 'face the most unpredictable and dangerous strategic environment in decades and affirmed the critical role of [their] alliance.' In that context, the two leaders welcomed the Joint Statement on Closer Defense Relations from last December and noted that New Zealand was still consulting about potential future collaboration opportunities under AUKUS Pillar II.
The joint statement expressed specific concerns about threats from foreign interference, espionage, economic coercion, malicious cyber activity, and transnational crime. It also clarified that a cyberattack would constitute an armed attack under the ANZUS treaty.
The two prime ministers also commended their countries' intensifying defense cooperation and integration of Anzac forces – including star-ranked officer exchanges and an increased tempo of exercises, operations, and presence together in the Indo-Pacific. They noted the alignment of Australia's National Defense Strategy and New Zealand's to-be-confirmed Defense Capability Plan to drive interoperability through combined procurement and co-sustainment of common platforms and systems. These steps will 'better position us to promote our shared security, deter actions inimical to our interests, and respond with decisive force if necessary,' the joint statement said.
As others have pointed out, perhaps the most significant development out of the joint statement is the passing reference to the ANZUS treaty. The New Zealand-United States leg of the Australia-New Zealand-United States (ANZUS) alliance was suspended in 1980s due to Wellington's refusal to admit U.S. naval vessels that were nuclear-powered or might be carrying nuclear weapons. Although ANZUS is the basis of continued Australia-New Zealand bilateral security relations (as well as Australia-United States bilateral security relations), 'ANZUS' has been rarely referenced by name in New Zealand.
Euan Graham also noted the lack of 'explicit caveats attached to Pillar I' of AUKUS in the joint statement. He argued that this suggests 'the Luxon government will approach Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines… pragmatically and in a low-key manner.'
As Alex Bristow of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute noted, however, the joint statement has 'not reset the nuclear clock.' Although New Zealand in recent years has allowed port visits by conventionally powered and armed U.S. naval vessels, anti-nuclear sentiment is still strong. Bristow pointed out that Luxon's predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, made clear that Wellington's nuclear ban will covers Australia's new nuclear-powered submarines, even if they are only conventionally armed.
The discussion between Albanese and Luxon last week was bilateral and put a spotlight on cyber issues. As Bristow argued, however, any discussion of deterring China will eventually need to involve the United States and discuss thorny nuclear issues.
At his speech to the Lowy Institute in Sydney today, Luxon mentioned 'ANZUS' by name again and shared his desire to strengthen New Zealand by engaging with the world, saying: 'my government is bringing more energy, more urgency, and a sharper focus to our external engagement.' Luxon's words are backed by actions, as his government has engaged with not only Australia and the United States, but also China, India, Japan, Southeast Asian countries, and the Pacific Island countries.
With regards to New Zealand-United States relations, Luxon mentioned annual foreign ministers talks and a Technology Dialogue. 'Strategically, we are strongly supportive of the indispensable role played by the United States in the region, and the broader array of alliances and partnerships that buttress the region's prosperity and security,' he affirmed.
On AUKUS, Luxon clarified, 'New Zealand is not involved in Pillar I of AUKUS' – the part of the pact that centers on nuclear-power submarines. 'Australia understands that our nuclear policy remains unchanged,' Luxon added. However, he once again raised the prospect of New Zealand joining Pillar II,' which 'involves cooperation on advanced technologies.'
'New Zealand is exploring with the AUKUS partners how we could potentially participate in Pillar II,' Luxon said, 'including to understand what this means for our focus on ensuring interoperability.'
Beyond AUKUS and ANZUS, Luxon was the only leader of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) to attend the NATO summit this year after U.S. strikes on Iran led to last-minute cancellations by Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Luxon is also more publicly supportive of the Five Eyes group.
Alongside this diplomacy, in April, the prime minister announced that New Zealand would double defense spending to more than 2 percent within eight years. Judith Collins, New Zealand's defense minister, expressed a desire for New Zealand to raise defense spending even higher than 2 percent, but did not specify by how much or when. Unlike with other allies, including Australia, the U.S. administration has not made any demands on New Zealand yet.
New Zealand is also building new relationships in the region. A day before the Albanese-Luxon summit, Japanese navel vessels docked in Wellington for the first time in almost 90 years. The ceremonial visit brought together two Indo-Pacific countries that each only have one formal ally: New Zealand has Australia, and Japan has the United States. In July, New Zealand officials announced that they were beginning work on a defense logistics agreement with Japan to make Japan-New Zealand military cooperation easier.