Should New Zealand tie its defence commitments closer to Australia?

New Zealanders and Australians have a long history of uniting against common enemies and on peacekeeping missions. Photo / Australian Defence Force

Opinion

New Zealand and Australian defence chiefs will soon begin discussions on setting up a joint Anzac rapid-response force.

The shape, size and operations of the proposed force - disclosed by the Herald in May - have yet to be considered, but Prime Minister John Key and his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd, believe the close ties between the two defence forces should be formalised in a new transtasman unit.

They said after meeting in Canberra yesterday that it should build on historic Anzac traditions and years of close co-operation over operations and equipment.

Should New Zealand tie its defence commitments closer to Australia? Here is the latest selection of Your Views: