NZ to spend $1.2 billion on new maritime helicopters

“It is very clear that New Zealand is not immune from the increasing tensions being felt throughout the world,” New Zealand Minister of Defence Judith Collins said in a statement.

“(This) sets us on our path for defence spending to reach two per cent of GDP by 2032-33,” she added.

New Zealand’s Defence Force has struggled with systemic underspending over the past several decades, which amounts to just over one per cent of GDP now. In April, the government said it would boost defence spending with NZ$9 billion of new funding over the next four years.