New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
New Zealand received its final P-8A Poseidon aircraft in 2023. (Photo: US Navy / Wikimedia Commons)
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
New Zealand has released its Defence Capability Plan 2025, where it outlined its commitment to spending NZ$12 billion (US$6.68 billion) over the next four years to improve its defence capabilities.
Of that figure, NZ$9 billion is new money that will be a boost to its baseline defence funding over that same period – almost doubling its defence budget to 2% of GDP.
The plan to rebuild the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) initially covers major investments between 2025-28, across air, land and sea capabilities.
Speaking to reporters after the release of the plan, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that New
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Defence Notes
-
![Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts]()
Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts
More than 40,000 military personnel from 19 participating nations took part in the 11th iteration of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre multi-domain event which was held across Australia and in Papua New Guinea.
-
![US Africa Command targets logistic solutions]()
US Africa Command targets logistic solutions
AFRICOM is seeking IT systems and supply chain management solutions to enhance interoperability and standardise logistical processes in its area of responsibility.
-
![Rheinmetall sales up by almost a quarter on wave of German spending]()
Rheinmetall sales up by almost a quarter on wave of German spending
Germany’s Rheinmetall released its 1H 2025 results on 7 August, continuing the strong growth of recent years. A particular highlight of the result’s presentation was the Skyranger air defence system for which the company is predicting sales of about US$8.2 billion from the German Government before the end of the year.
-
![Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave]()
Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave
Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.
-
![Singapore plots a way forward with new technology and formation reform]()
Singapore plots a way forward with new technology and formation reform
Singapore spends about 3.5% of GDP on defence and the section’s budget sits on high on the proportion of national spending. The country is investing in uncrewed technology, medium- and long-range fires and new submarines and ships with the hunt also on for new maritime patrol aircraft.
-
![World Defense Show promises bigger and better event for 2026]()
World Defense Show promises bigger and better event for 2026
At this year's IDEF in Istanbul, Shephard spoke to World Defense Show (WDS) CEO Andrew Pearcey about his event's strategic role in Saudi Arabia, its themes and new features for 2026 and how it has grown since its launch in 2022.
