Seismic shifts in NZ defence and foreign policy

NZ has responsibilities for about a twelfth of the world's ocean surface – this photo shows most of our navy. (Image: NZME)

Pattrick Smellie

Tue, 08 Aug 2023

For at least three decades, New Zealand’s foreign policy and defence policy has been fairly settled.Foreign policy has been prosecuted as trade policy ahead of almost all other considerations, while defence policy has been prosecuted under the assumption of what the then prime minister, Helen Clark, said in 2001 was an “incredibly benign" strategic environment.This underpinned NZ’s independent foreign policy, in which the country trod a successful and self-interested path as crusader for high-quality free trade agreements...

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