Judith Collins: Innovation, opportunities and being better together

We need to work well with others, to contribute, to innovate and to look for opportunities to be better together. AUKUS Pillar II may provide additional opportunity for New Zealand, writes Defence Minister Judith Collins, but it’s early days.

It’s not often you get to combine all the things you are passionate about in your job, but that’s exactly the privileged situation I find myself in.

My Ministerial responsibilities span a diverse range of specialist areas – from space to defence, the intelligence community, digitising government as well as science, innovation, and technology, to name a few. It may not be immediately obvious, but each portfolio has more in common than first glance suggests. There is quite a lot of interoperability, and they are interconnected in a number of areas.

They are also all vital for the future prosperity of New Zealand.

They rely on a foundation of hardworking professional people and personnel who are driven by a sense of service, commitment to our country and a tireless focus on delivery. There are also real opportunities, as well as real challenges, in each one.

I look forward to having the opportunity to learn more, and do more, in every area. If there is one thing we can do above all others to help us advance it’s making sure we support innovation and embrace technology.

We are a small but globally connected nation. We need to work well with others, to contribute, to innovate and to look for opportunities to be better together. New Zealand relies on partnerships to meet our interests but we know the value of playing our part, both within our region and beyond.

That term beyond also encompasses space. When I think of space, I think satellites, critical lines of communications, and New Zealand’s ability to innovate and support a growing space industry. It is a domain which enables a deeper understanding of New Zealand’s security environments.

Space technology helps us to advance our national security and economic interests, such as using satellite imagery to help track illegal fishing, or GPS to support our maritime supply chains. Using space assets enables better communication, faster and better-informed decision making and helps to maintain an effective, efficient, combat capable New Zealand Defence Force.

New Zealand is an attractive place for space-related business — we have a business-friendly environment, a future-focused policy and regulatory regime, and advantages including geography, infrastructure, skills and global trust. Our researchers and companies are using space technologies to tackle some of our planet’s big challenges and to create new and exciting opportunities for economic growth.

In the Defence portfolio I have a personal connection as well as a professional one. I understand the contribution New Zealand Defence Force personnel, past and present, make to enhance our security, to defend our interests and to respond when asked.

My father was a veteran of World War II having served as a Combat Engineer with the Royal New Zealand Engineers, and several of my great uncles served in World War I. I have been Minister for Veterans’ Affairs (during which time I was made an honorary sapper by the Sappers’ Association) and have travelled to conflict zones including meeting our personnel deployed to Afghanistan. I am also an honorary member of the Long-Range Desert Group and am deeply committed to their memory.

I recently returned from the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting in New Caledonia where I met my defence counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific.

During those discussions the theme of working together to address shared challenges and opportunities continued.

Alongside other Pacific Island countries, our formal military ally Australia, and our other security partners, New Zealand has an interest in maintaining a stable, secure, prosperous and resilient region.

Which is why I’ll be taking up opportunities to engage with our international partners wherever possible. To make sure the New Zealand perspective is heard and to listen so we can contribute meaningfully. To be open to new opportunities, where they align with our interests.

AUKUS is one such area as it covers cooperation in emerging security areas, including areas in which we already work closely with Australia, the US and the UK. Pillar II may provide additional opportunity for New Zealand, but it’s early days and I look forward to finding out more before any decisions are made.

I’ll leave it there for now, but rest assured, there’ll be more to come.