New Zealand Will Not Raise Defence Expenditure Above 2 Percent of GDP: Minister

Minister Chris Penk has told a parliamentary committee that the views of the Trump administration were ‘interesting’ but would not determine NZ policy.

New Zealand Defence Minister Chris Penk (C) appears before the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. Screenshot from the parliamentary livestream service

Defence Minister Chris Penk has confirmed the New Zealand government has no plans to increase defence spending beyond 2 percent of GDP, despite the Trump administration’s expectation that allies lift military expenditure to at least 3.5 percent of GDP.

Last year, Prime Minister Chris Luxon committed to raising expenditure to “as close to 2 percent as we possibly can,” up from a baseline of 1.2 percent.