Faced By Growing Regional Threats, NZ and Australian PMs Meet to Talk Security

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is making a one-day trip across the Tasman today to meet with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, mainly to discuss regional security. Mr. Luxon has committed to prioritising defence and security in the first official discussions between the two. “I want us to be higher intensity, higher engagement. I don’t ever want to take the relationship with Australia for granted,” he said—something New Zealand is often seen as doing given that it devotes just 1.2 percent of GDP to defence spending compared to Australia’s two percent. In August of this year, the previous government released key documents, including a 36-page “Defence Policy and Strategy Statement,” a 12-page “Future Force Design Principles” document, and an inaugural 44-page “National Security Strategy.”...