Opinion | China, climate change, terrorism listed among New Zealand’s security issues
- Revised strategy says nation no longer ‘protected by its remoteness’, with this wake up call pointing out the strategic environment is not benign
- New strategies, assessments repeatedly highlight China challenge, but peaceful cooperation in areas of shared interest is deemed desirable
The national security strategy, Secure Together – Tō Tātou Korowai Manaaki – along with a new defence policy and strategy statement, rounds out this revised New Zealand world view. A soon-to-be-released threat assessment from the security intelligence agencies will complete the picture.
While the new assessments and strategic statements come from different state agencies, they nonetheless speak clearly and coherently about the risks to New Zealand’s security. The national wake-up call, then, rests on four broad pillars of understanding.
Geopolitical uniqueness
The first consistent theme concerns New Zealand’s uniqueness. It is a liberal, multicultural democracy based on a bicultural relationship and te Tiriti o Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi. The nation’s strong sovereign identity is anchored in the Pacific, and it speaks with a strong and independent voice.
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