New Zealand has raised defence spending in its latest budget.
Treasurer Nicola Willis unveiled in her 2026–27 Budget an extra NZ$1.58 billion (US$940 million) in defence funding as part of a broader NZ$3.5 billion spending package.
International security was one of the “four pillars” of the budget previously announced by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The others were energy independence, social cohesion, and financial security.
The additional package is split between NZ$880 million in operating expenses and NZ$700 million in capital funding, with the money directed toward priority projects identified in the Defence Capability Plan (DCP) released last year.
The plan unveiled NZ$9 billion in new spending as part of an effort to lift defence spending to 2 percent of GDP, including NZ$2.7 billion for new military aircraft….
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