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NZ Herald
18-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Defence Minister Judith Collins talks tough to graduating Army recruits as global tensions rise
During the ceremony, Collins – New Zealand's first female Minister of Defence – was seated next to the Chief of Army Major General Rose King, the first woman to lead New Zealand's armed forces. After a gruelling 15-week training course, 153 men and women graduated from Recruit Regular Force 416, Rafah Company, at Waiōuru Military Camp. Photo / Sylvie Whinray The parade concluded with a stirring rendition of the Army's official haka, Tū, before family members were invited to present the recruits with their dog tags, an emotional moment that left many in tears. After retiring to the officers' mess, Collins told the Herald the world feels more unstable now than it has at any other point in her lifetime. The recruits she'd spoken to were 'action-focused people' prepared for the prospect of seeing combat. 'People don't join the Army because they want to sit at home and fight over the remote control,' she said. 'They join to be deployed, whether it's at home, in relation to some of the weather events we're having at the moment or some conflict area. They want to get the skills and play their part. 'The world is a very different place than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Even in the days of the Cold War, there were certain rules. A lot of those rules seem to have been forgotten now.' In April, Collins launched the Government's $12 billion Defence Capability Plan and committed to doubling defence spending to more than 2% of GDP by 2033. Asked if decades of underfunding have damaged New Zealand's military reputation internationally, the minister said it was more a question of how our Defence Force could be so good with so little. 'If anybody should take the hit, it should be those of us in Government over the years who have foolishly thought that common sense would break out, peace would break out, everyone would behave and nobody would be a threat anymore. 'Certainly, large powers are arming up and we were not. We were starting to be seen very much as a country that didn't support its defence personnel, and we needed to change that fast.' New Zealand Army recruit Private Lana Kiddie-Vai (right) prepares for her graduation parade at the Waiōuru Military Camp with the help of non-commissioned officer Corporal Chantal Yeatman. Photo / Sylvie Whinray After posting a record attrition rate of 17.7% at the end of 2022, the New Zealand Army has steadily clawed that back to 7.7%. However, that period of poor retention has created a hollow across the defence force that has yet to be resolved, with thousands of positions vacant as of the end of March, according to figures released under the Official Information Act. About half of the unfilled roles were in the Army. To boost numbers, a new recruitment campaign has been launched and four training courses at Waiōuru are planned for 2026, up from two in 2025. This week, 700 New Zealanders from across the defence force joined 30,000 personnel from 19 countries for Exercise Talisman Sabre, a 'multi-domain warfighting scenario' being held in Australia. The war drills are being seen as a show of military co-ordination between allied nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. New Zealand's Defence Capability Plan refers specifically to China's pursuit of its strategic objectives in ways that can challenge the security of other states. As well as supporting closer alignment with US interests, Collins has overseen the deepening of interoperability with Australia and a stepping up of defence diplomacy with Nato and the UK. Graduating New Zealand Army recruits at the Waiōuru Military Camp conclude their official parade with a spine-tingling rendition of the Army's official haka, Tū. Photo / Sylvie Whinray During her term as minister, China has become more assertive around Taiwan and in the South China Sea; more active in the Pacific, including signing an agreement with the Cook Islands, a Realm Country of New Zealand, without consulting New Zealand; test-firing a ballistic missile into the Pacific; and sending a naval task group to the Tasman Sea in February, which included live-firing without notice. This month, the Royal New Zealand Air Force established its first dedicated space unit – described by Collins, who is also the Minister for Space, as part of the work being done to maintain a 'combat-capable, flexible' force. In the same week, it was announced that the taxpayer-funded climate satellite MethaneSat had lost contact with the ground and was 'likely not recoverable'. Led by a US group, the Environmental Defence Fund, the project was given $29 million from the New Zealand Government with the aim of growing the space industry. The mission's goal was to name and shame oil and gas producers that were allowing planet-heating methane to escape into the atmosphere. Joanna Wane is an award-winning senior journalist who has been with the NZ Herald since 2020.
Scoop
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
ALIEN WEAPONRY & Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe Fight The System In New Music Video For 'Taniwha'
New Zealand's ALIEN WEAPONRY recently released their head-turning third album, Te Rā, via Napalm Records! Swiftly, following the announcement of their upcoming USA tour supporting Avatar with fellow openers SpiritWorld, the band has dropped a brand new music video for album single 'Taniwha', featuring an intense guest appearance from metal icon Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God). In the video, the modern groove metal trio find themselves face to face with puppet masters of corporate greed and overconsumption, providing a thought-provoking backdrop to one of the album's most aggressive, death-metal leaning offerings. " We are super excited to share something we have been working on for a while. We felt honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with the mighty Randy Blythe on our song 'Taniwha'; off of our latest album, so it only made sense to have him be a part of the music video too! We wanted to create something special for this one, and we are stoked with how it turned out!" ALIEN WEAPONRY have solidified themselves as one of the greatest young metal bands of their generation with renewed musical tenacity and crucial messaging. Since releasing their acclaimed debut Tū (2018), the band have been lauded for their kinetic presence and sound, as well as their vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. With their third full-length album, ALIEN WEAPONRY expand on their hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever. In the hands of veteran producer/mixer Josh Wilbur (Lamb Of God, Gojira, Megadeth), Te Rā's gnashing blend of groove, nu, math and thrash metal shines with anthemic choruses and refreshed technical skill. Te Rā is a bold, unwavering cry for a future in which we can all take part in the legacy of people like the Māori and others all around us – people who, if they aren't seen, most certainly need to be heard! Taken as a whole, Te Rā grapples with what it's like to be caught in the pull of divergent cultures – not just for the descendants of colonized people, but for all of us.
