WELLINGTON: New Zealand has said that it needs to boost its defence capabilities in the face of aging equipment, difficulties recruiting security personnel and a serious strategic competition between China and the West.
The government unveiled its first national security strategy and the first stage of a defense review on Friday.
The policy review unveiled by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Defence Minister Andrew Little said that the defense force of New Zealand is not in an ideal condition to respond to future challenges, according to Western media.
The policy paper presented a rethinking about the role of the country’s military, which has been used mainly in peacekeeping missions or to provide assistance when other nations in the region are hit by natural disasters.
Little said that New Zealand should invest in a combat-capable force and cannot rely on being protected by its remoteness.
Talking to media, he said that the changes in the domestic and international security system mean Wellington’s response and preparedness must change too. Wellington must be ready to equip itself with assets and material, trained personnel, and appropriate international ties in order to protect its own defense and national security.
The security strategy paper pointed out how the rise of China was s impacting old norms in New Zealand.
One policy document revealed that a rising China was using all its means of national power in ways that can create challenges to existing international rules and norms.
Little said this was of special concern in the Pacific where China was building ties and was trying to demand a level of exclusivity.
China offers great opportunity to New Zealand
He said that China offers great opportunity to New Zealand and many other nations but the nature of its conduct and its engagement with other countries also poses a risk.
The announcement for the military revamp comes amid negotiations around the possible role of New Zealand in the AUKUS alliance, a key group of the United Kingdom, Australia, and the US aimed at countering Beijing’s rising influence in the Pacific region.
New Zealand is careful around involvement in the pact in hopes to avoid irking Beijing, its largest trading partner.
