NZ Labour Says Dropping Support for AUKUS to Avoid War With Beijing

AUKUS was formed as a counterweight to Beijing’s increased military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.

A Seasprite Helicopter flies alongside HMNZS Aotearoa. New Zealand's fleet of naval helicopters have reached the end of their life and need replacing at a cost of $1 billion. Supplied courtesy NZDF

After initially supporting the government’s overtures to join the second pillar of the AUKUS pact, the NZ Labour Party appears to have reversed position, with both the foreign affairs and associate foreign affairs spokespeople characterising it as unnecessarily aggressive positioning towards Beijing.

After a meeting between the Foreign and Defence Ministers of Australia and New Zealand at the end of January, Australia said it would be sending officials to New Zealand soon for further talks.