Latest news with #Seasprite
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
National Security Brings Economic Benefits
Hon Judith Collins KC Minister of Defence Pulling our weight in an increasingly volatile world will keep New Zealanders safe while boosting our domestic economy, Defence Minister Judith Collins says. 'To achieve this, the Government has allocated $2.7 billion of capital and $563 million of operating funding for priority projects identified in the Defence Capability Plan we released last month. 'This includes the replacement of maritime helicopters and complements the $957 million for defence activities, personnel and estate previously announced,' Ms Collins says. 'This previous announcement, and today's commitments, brings the total investment in Defence to $4.2 billion in Budget 2025. 'Today we announce investments in critical tools that support our national and economic security. This ranges from updated and interoperable missile systems to counter uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to protect our people and assets, through to planes that are essential for deploying troops and equipment and supporting international trade and diplomatic missions. 'We will be looking to use New Zealand businesses where it makes sense to do so, further demonstrating the Government's commitment to supporting those who are innovative and capable of developing tools and capability that Defence needs. 'Ultimately, spending on Defence will result in economic benefits to everyday New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses. I look forward to seeing our Defence industry grow in a range of areas, whether through New Zealand designed or built products, particularly in the advanced technology area, infrastructure development, or domestic contractors supporting high-value military procurement.' The $2.7 billion in capital and $563 million in operating funding announced today for priority Defence projects covers essential items including: replacing the two Boeing 757s to support military operations and deployments, humanitarian and disaster relief support, and trade and diplomatic missions replacing the Seasprite maritime helicopters to operate from Navy ships (previously announced) replacing the Javelin anti-armour missile system launch units with new units to ensure interoperability with partner militaries and provide the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) with the ability to fire at longer ranges encrypted radios to provide deployed Army units with secure voice communication a counter-UAS that can be set up in fixed locations and is able to disable drones/UAS that could pose a threat to personnel, aircraft/vehicles and infrastructure detailed design work for the future of Devonport Naval Base; and investment in homes for Defence families, Defence infrastructure, modernising the Defence vehicle fleet and digital and information management projects. 'These investments are critical to enable Defence to increase its lethality, protect New Zealand, and deliver what we expect of them,' Ms Collins says. 'The Defence Capability Plan outlines planned commitments of $12 billion over the next four years - including $9 billion of new spending - subject to future Budget decisions and Cabinet approving business cases. Our Budget commitments are yet another strong signal that we are cracking on and delivering on this plan, which will take Defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP by 2032/33. 'The Government's backing of Defence shows a very real recognition of the value we place on the men and women who serve and protect this country and its interests. 'Our people are being called upon to go more places, more often and for longer to play New Zealand's part in contributing to global security. This funding will enable them to do that. 'We will pull our weight.'
RNZ News
05-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Watch live: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at post-Cabinet media conference
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Parliament is back after a three-week recess and the prime minister is due to speak to reporters at his post-Cabinet press conference at 4pm. Watch the media conference live here: The prime minister will be joined by Trade Minister Todd McClay, who is expected to have an update on trade deals, including next steps in the India-New Zealand FTA. Tomorrow marks the start of a three-week sitting block at Parliament that ends on 22 May with the Budget. On Sunday Christopher Luxon, deputy prime minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins made a pre-Budget announcement of $2 billion to replace the navy's Seasprite helicopters , boosting their disaster response and aid capabilities. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
NZ Defence Force: Cambridge recruit trains to become aircraft technician
'I was a bit nervous to move in with complete strangers, but we all bonded super quickly and now spend every moment of our free time together as well. 'We are all in the same boat, which makes it a lot easier to relate to each other when we found things tough, or what we were enjoying from our course. 'Recruit course is not a competition. You are all working towards the same goal of graduation, so you need to believe in your own abilities while also supporting those around you.' However, Blackmore said she also faced a few hurdles. 'I have found the mental aspects a lot more challenging than the physical ones. We are under constant pressure during recruit course, where the assessments and activities can affect the future of our career if we don't do them well. 'While some of the physical things we do are tough at the time, I have been able to push through the pain and afterwards it is super rewarding.' Blackmore was now looking forward to the next step in her career as an aircraft technician and already has big goals. 'In the future, I would like to be posted to RNZAF Base Auckland and work on the Seasprite helicopters as part of No. 6 Squadron.' She said she was 'extremely grateful' to have been selected to be part of the Air Force and for the friendships she formed during the recruit course. 'These are friendships that I will be able to take from this course, and when we are all posted to different bases, it will be awesome to have friends all over New Zealand.'
Kiwiblog
04-05-2025
- Business
- Kiwiblog
New helicopters for NZDF
Judith Collins announced: The Defence Force's ageing maritime helicopters will be replaced to increase the defensive and offensive capability and surveillance range of New Zealand's frigates, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. 'The replacement of the Seasprite helicopters will also extend the Navy's ability to support non-combat tasks such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,' Ms Collins says. 'Together with a $957 million investment in Defence Force activities, personnel and estate, the $2 billion plus budgeted to replace the helicopters represents the first tranche of the Government's $12 billion of planned commitments to upgrade the Defence Force over the next four years. This is good to see. We only purchased the helicopters in 2015, but they were second hand. They were originally manufactured in the 1990s, and the airframes may even be from the 1970s or 1980s. So definitely time to replace them.
RNZ News
04-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Navy helicopter upgrade needed after Seasprites 'worked to the bone'
Defence Minister Judith Collins with members of the New Zealand Defence Force at Sunday's announcement. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel The government's $2 billion spend on new naval helicopters is being welcomed by experts, but the opposition says other problems need just as much focus. Defence Minister Judith Collins's pre-Budget announcement on Sunday revealed replacement of the Navy's Seasprite helicopters would be the first major expense from the $12 billion capability plan unveiled last month. She also revealed a $957m spend from the Budget - separate from the capability plan - on Defence Force activities, personnel and property. "As a maritime nation we are prioritising naval capability. The new helicopters will be able to go further and carry larger loads, including weapons, personnel and equipment - all of which is critical for Defence to protect New Zealand and New Zealanders," Collins said. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was a sensible approach, but similar levels of spending were needed in other areas like health, education and housing. "I think the replacement of the Seasprite helicopters is necessary. We do rely on them for things like disaster recovery, for the provision of humanitarian aid, and I think ultimately it's good to see the government investing in them," he said. "Replacement of the Seasprites is well and truly justified, but the government's clearly prioritising defence spending while offering austerity in areas like health, education and housing. I think New Zealanders need to see a similar level of commitment to investment in those areas. "This is a government that scaled back hospital redevelopments, it scaled back school rebuilds, and has almost completely stopped building new state houses. Those are vital investments in New Zealand's future as well." He said he was not in a position to judge the price-tag, but military procurement was different from the commercial sensitivity in the private sector in that prices were "fairly standard", so it was good to see the government being transparent about costs. The Green Party's Defence spokesperson Teanau Tuiono called the military focus of the government's spending into question. "Preparing for war is not how we build peace," he said, "We've been told by Nicola Willis that this upcoming budget is going to be an austerity budget, there's nothing in the bank do a lolly scramble - well someone's got all the lollies and it appears to be Judith Collins and David Seymour," he said. Willis - the Finance Minister - last week revealed the 22 May Budget's operating allowance would be about $1.1 billion smaller than previously expected, but said it was not an austerity approach. Tuiono called for a stronger focus on Pacific diplomacy and climate change mitigation, rather than spending up large on military hardware. "Is that what the Pacific is asking us? That's a question I would have: have Pacific leaders told us they actually want us to get helicopters? What you often hear from them is that they want support around climate change. "More can be done to support the Pacific and the focus needs to be on that relationship, and we've got to look at it in the context of the US up-sticks and leaving. "That takes a lot of dialogue. It takes diplomacy. I don't think it means arming up." University of Otago professor of international relations Robert Patman said New Zealand did need to do more on climate change, but disagreed that investing in defence was a preparation for war. "In a world in which there is conflict, unfortunately, perception of weakness can make you a target and it's no secret that we've only been spending about 1 percent of GDP on defense for about two or three decades," he said. "I think if you want an independent foreign policy you do need to have the capability to not only defend yourself but also to contribute to multilateral security operations. Most problems in the world today - particularly in the world of security, but also climate change and also economic problems - they don't respect borders. "This defense announcement we've had doesn't signal a willingness to act unilaterally or even be part of some alignment of a great power. It signals, I think, a pragmatic recognition that since we basically rely on the multilateral system and we believe in the rules based order ... we do have to have the capability to contribute with others, to deal with problems that threaten that order." He said the spending announcement was not only encouraging because it gave certainty over the helicopters' replacement, it was also signalling that the government was "very mindful that we're a maritime nation, and our maritime estate, so to speak - that exclusive economic zone around New Zealand - needs to be monitored". "It's a form of insurance. You hope you don't have to use it, but... it's nice to have it in place, just in case something untoward or unexpected develops, and I think this is quite sensible policy making." Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Studies director David Capie said the defence force had been under-invested in for decades, and in recent years had been unable to perform some of the tasks expected of it. The helicopters were also essential, he said, for the Navy to be able to do what it needed to do - and the replacement of them was something that had been planned during the previous government's term. "You need helicopters that can actually extend the effectiveness of our frigates and other vessels ... they're also likely to be bigger than the ones that the Navy currently operates, and so they'll also be capable to fulfil a number of other other roles, like search and rescue and humanitarian assistance and response." He said the Seasprites had been "worked to the bone". "We had eight helicopters, we've cut that back to five essentially to cannibalise the ones that we have, to keep them in the air ... it's another classic case of New Zealand is really running assets into the ground, it becomes more and more expensive to keep them operating, and so there are some things that just suddenly become urgent and really need to be addressed. "So $2 billion is a lot, but this you also need to think that this is an investment over many decades of a future capability and it's part of an insurance policy that's vital for our nation's security." At the announcement, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the focus was on ensuring NZDF had the personnel in place and bringing new assets into the system, and signalled defence could be a priority for additional new spending. "If we have more money, if our economy is doing better, of course we'll tip more money into it as we go," he said. "It comes from a place of us as a new government saying 'look, we cannot have economic prosperity without defence and security. We're living in an Indo-Pacific region that is more geostrategically contested and competitive. We see rising tensions through the world but also through our region. "It's really important you don't just spout off with your values and your words, you've actually got to follow it up with some actions and some commitment." A spokesperson for Judith Collins said all figures for the helicopter spending - and all other estimates from the Defence Capability Plan - would be subject to finalised business cases. Exactly which model of helicopter would be chosen would also depend on the business case, but the $2b minimum set aside for them in the Budget would cover the cost of the helicopters themselves, as well as their operating costs for the first four years. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
