Defence policy: A glimpse of the rarely spotted Kiwi hawk

A "meeting of minds" in Melbourne: Judith Collins, Australian defence minister Richard Marles, Winston Peters and Australian foreign minister Penny Wong. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Pattrick Smellie

Fri, 02 Feb 2024

Australians can be a laconic lot, so one wonders how much surprise they might have suppressed when the New Zealand foreign and defence ministers turned up in Melbourne this week for a rare show of Kiwi hawkishness.The one-day trip by Winston Peters and Judith Collins to consult their counterparts, Penny Wong (foreign affairs) and Richard Marles (defence and deputy PM, like Peters), may be the most significant shift in NZ defence posture since Helen Clark axed the strike force capability of the air force in May 2001.Peters, born in April 1945, f...

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