Defence Minister Chris Penk defends New Zealand military spend after US criticism at Shangri-La Dialogue

Defence Minister Chris Penk says he wasn’t surprised by comments from US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth that amounted to accusing New Zealand of “freeloading” during a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Penk was there in person to hear Hegseth’s public criticism of New Zealand’s military spend – and other nations that spend less than 3.5% of GDP on defence.

“For those who continue to free-ride on the generosity of the American taxpayer, hear us now: those days are over. Allies that refuse to stand up and carry their weight for our collective defence will face a clear shift in how we do business,” Hegseth said.

Speaking to Tim Beveridge on Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Collective, Penk said from Singapore that Hegseth’s comments were “very much as we would expect”.

“The United States is willing and able to remain engaged in our region. That’s a good thing. But they would also state their expectation that others remain fully engaged, including in the way that they are well-resourced,” said Penk.

Hegseth’s comments come just two days after New Zealand laid out a financial plan aimed at boosting defence spending to just over 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) over eight years – a far cry from Hegseth’s demands.

Penk also noted that New Zealand provides and receives great value through its involvement in surveillance network Five Eyes.

“We receive the insights of the other four nations within the network in ways that help us to understand the threat environment further afield, but also, at times, closer to home.

“And we do provide value in return, in terms of intelligence that we are able to obtain, and we share with those other partners. So, it is very much a two-way street.

“There’s value for us in being valued by others. We are respected and a credible member of the Five Eyes network. So, they [the US] always reflect to us that that’s important to them, but, because it’s in our interest, we will continue to be involved along those lines,” Penk said.