Americans fly in to talk feminism and nuclear submarines
Defence Minister Judith Collins has confirmed she discussed the Aukus submarine deal with American counterparts who were in Wellington for an International Women’s Daythemed series of events.
A large American Globemaster plane was visible at the Rongotai Air Force Terminal yesterday morning, taking a place vacated by the RNZAF’s ailing Boeing 737 which managed to get airborne on Wednesday.
Collins said Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins had been visiting.
“I’m taking part in a women in national security fireside chat with her and some of our women in national security today,” Collins said.
International Women’s Day is today.
“We have women in national security; we want to celebrate them,” Collins said.
“Let’s just say they are normally the minority in terms of national security agencies.”
Collins said the pair discussed “Aukus pillar 2 opportunities”.
“We’re just exploring it, talking about various things, obviously geopolitical issues, the challenging times that we’re in,” she said.
“There will be opportunities for us, it’s whether or not we want to take them, [whether] there’s significant New Zealand benefit, but also being part of any arrangement with our good friends and other liberal democracies.”
New Zealand’s nuclear free laws mean it cannot participate in pillar 1 of Aukus, which relates to the acquisition of nuclear-powered (though not nuclear-armed) submarines by
Australia. However, Kurt Campbell, the Biden administration’s IndoPacific czar, effectively put joining pillar 2 on the table when he visited New Zealand under the former Government.
Pillar 2 involves sharing nonnuclear information and technology.
Labour is less keen on New Zealand signing up, foreign affairs spokesman David Parker saying the agreement didn’t offer anything New Zealand could not get from other arrangements, such as Five Eyes.