With new government, New Zealand signals to join AUKUS nuclear submarine deal

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Blasting previous Labor government of being “anti-America,” the new collation government in New Zealand signaled Tuesday it may join the AUKUS nuclear submarine arrangement.

“I think it was a real opportunity lost by the previous government but ... they’ve always had something of an anti-American stance," said Defense Minister Judith Collins.

AUKUS is a trilateral arrangement announced in 2021 among the US, the UK and Australia, under which Canberra will get nuclear-powered submarines.

Collins said joining the “second pillar of AUKUS would not erode New Zealand’s nuclear-free position.”

According to Radio New Zealand, Collins “expressed her disappointment for more was not done to include New Zealand in the second pillar of the arrangement, which is focused on information sharing and defense technologies.”

Collins signaled the coalition government’s “interest in participating in the second pillar.”

New Zealand has a new coalition government in place since November with Christopher Luxon as the nation’s new prime minister.

The previous ​​​​​​​Labor Party government had maintained New Zealand’s non-nuclear policy and did not intend to join the trilateral AUKUS pact.