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Every year, thousands of New Zealanders turn out for Anzac Day commemorations, reflecting national pride and gratitude for the military contributions of earlier generations. In 2025, attendance at the Auckland ceremony alone was estimated at 15,000. Some doubt that a new generation may have to go to war. Others believe that a future conflict is…
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While it might seem obvious, before New Zealand can start to sensibly plan how it can defend itself, it needs to ask and answer the question, “What country could be a military threat to New Zealand?” Many New Zealanders would respond by identifying China as a threat. The author believes that China is the only…
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In an attempt to illustrate why a confrontation between China and New Zealand is imaginable, some different scenarios will be reviewed. Taiwan? There is a risk that hostilities could break out between the two prime protagonists who are concerned with Taiwan, namely China and the United States. Rather than launching an outright invasion, many experts…
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A contest over natural resources? New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers over 4 million square kilometres. This makes it one of the largest EEZs in the world—typically ranked as the fourth or fifth largest globally, and about 15 times the size of New Zealand’s land area. One possible risk for New Zealand is that…
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The central question in this series of articles is what form New Zealand defence forces will ultimately need to take. The answer is not confined to the sort of conflict that New Zealand could be involved in. It, crucially, includes the question of whether New Zealand would fight on its own or whether it needs…