Latest fromDefence

NZDF quietly remove some entry requirements for NCEA levels 1 and 2
Applications surged to 9702 in 2024 after the academic changes were made.

‘Trust your teammates’: SAS veteran inspires Auckland FC ahead of A-League run-in
The former soldier was able to provide a unique perspective to the group of footballers.

Final report blames human error for HMNZS Manawanui’s sinking
Autopilot oversight led to $100m Navy ship disaster on reef in Samoa, report says.

US approves $3.4 billion drone sale to Qatar
Drones for 'friendly country' will be a deterrent to regional threats, US says.

The PM’s next jet? Dassault makes a pitch for its Falcon 8X
Jet and helicopter companies jockey for spotlight as huge airshow starts Downunder.

‘Soldier fell’: WorkSafe alleged Defence Force failure killed SAS elite soldier
‘Soldier fell’ - inside the NZSAS training fatality and the prosecution NZDF blocked.

PM Luxon defends NZDF job cuts plan as India visit ends
The Government is about to release its 15-year plan for NZ's defence spending.

‘He was holding off the Russians’: Heroic final deeds of NZ soldier killed in Ukraine revealed
Dominic Abelen, killed in 2022, will finally be laid to rest in Christchurch tomorrow.

Defence Force proposing to cut 374 roles, union says
Staff were told today of plans for changes in the civilian workforce.

Missile launch a fort for NZ Defence Force
A Penguin missile was fired for he first time from a Seasprite helicopter recently in a world first for New Zealand. Video / NZ Defence Force

How NZ’s military ties provoke tensions with China
Why China's ships may have conducted live firing in the Tasman Sea last week.

Helen Clark questions continued involvement in Five Eyes
Clark said she is concerned about mission creep of the arrangement.

Red tape ties up memorial for slain veteran
They shall grow not old and age shall not weary them – but no one escapes bureaucracy.

Matthew Hooton: China flotilla about keeping NZ and Australia in our box
OPINION: Beijing wants free rein to colonise the South Pacific.

War drums and sabre rattling: PM sets scene for big Defence spend-up
PM cites a global shift as he gears up for more military spending.

Chinese naval ships move further away from NZ, enters Great Australian Bight
An international relations expert said China's motivation for the activity was unknown.

Luxon floats sending Navy ship into South China Sea
The move to send a vessel will affirm closer ties with Vietnam.

Editorial: Calm heads need to prevail after China’s high seas tit for tat
EDITORIAL: China’s live-firing exercises has fired shots across NZ and Australia’s bow.

Luxon says NZ ‘clear-eyed’ about risks of conflict in Pacific
The Prime Minister delivered a bleak outlook for the Asia-Pacific region at Asean

Officials suspect Chinese warships in Australian waters may be backed by nuclear sub
A small New Zealand naval contingent is shadowing the Chinese navy ships off Tasmania.

‘Unusual’ presence: Chinese Navy exercise disrupts transtasman flights
The Chinese Navy ships are now 218 nautical miles east of Tasmania.