Asia & Pacific

New Zealand PM Pledges to Up Country’s Defence Budget to 2 Percent of GDP

The move comes as the Trump administration pressures governments around the world to invest more in defence.
New Zealand PM Pledges to Up Country’s Defence Budget to 2 Percent of GDP
Royal New Zealand Navy personal perform during Beat the Retreat at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Waitangi, New Zealand on Feb. 5, 2025. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
Rex Widerstrom
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New Zealand’s prime minister has vowed to double defence spending but hasn’t yet indicated how quickly this will occur.

Currently around 1 percent of GDP goes to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and Department of Defence, and Christopher Luxon told RNZ he wants to see that figure “as close to 2 percent as we possibly can”—generally the accepted benchmark.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.