United States invited to Navy's 75th anniversary celebrations

HMNZS Canterbury returns to Auckland in 2014. Photo / Jason Oxenham

The Royal New Zealand Navy has invited the US to take part in its 75th anniversary celebrations next year, potentially paving the way for the first visit by a US warship in more than 30 years.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) confirmed this evening that the US had been formally invited to the International Naval Review in November 2016, along with 30 other countries.

"This reflects the good bilateral relationship we have with the US," a spokeswoman said.

The US Navy has not yet responded to the invite. It if chose to send a warship, it would the first visit since New Zealand adopted its anti-nuclear stance in 1985.

The stance was prompted by huge public uproar about visits by nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered vessels.

At the time, Labour Prime Minister David Lange refused to allow the USS Buchanan to enter New Zealand because the Americans refused to confirm or deny whether it was carrying nuclear weapons. In response, the US suspended military ties.

New Zealand and US ties have improved in recent years, and the two militaries have carried out joint exercises. But the US has not sent a warship to these shores.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said this evening that the law required the Prime Minister to make a determination "that foreign military aircraft and vessels are not nuclear powered or carrying nuclear weapons before entering New Zealand".

Mr McCully said the same legislation applied to all foreign visiting military aircraft and ships.

American warships no longer carried nuclear warheads. But the US has not previously confirmed or denied whether its ships were nuclear-powered.