AUKUS official document outlining a timeline of New Zealand’s understanding and position on Pillar 2

Newly released documents reveal a series of exchanges between the New Zealand and Australian defence and diplomatic departments about the AUKUS security agreement.

Not previously disclosed Cabinet documents The documents, made public for the first time on Friday, outline a timetable for dialogue between the defence and foreign ministers of the Australian and New Zealand governments on Pillar 2 of AUKUS.

The second pillar of the Australia, UK and US security partnership is focused on developing and sharing military technology, including drones and hypersonics.

The cabinet documents, from the previous Labour government, were released after Foreign Minister Winston Peters wrote to former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins requesting the release of cabinet and DFAT documents relating to AUKUS Two. The Cabinet Office then collated the documents and sought approval from the office of the current Labour leader.

In recent months, former Labor Prime Minister Helen Clark and National Party leader Don Brash have Outspoken They believe the coalition government has moved closer to the US and AUKUS agreement.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters responded to the criticism, noting it was the Labour Party that initiated the conversation about New Zealand’s involvement.

The document states that New Zealand’s “existing AUKUS practices, including our key information, are based on September 2021 Announcement” – something Peters previously mentioned.

David Parker, Labour’s foreign affairs spokesman, called the “document leak” a “shallow attempt” to show “this was initiated by the Labour Party”.

“The government continues to pretend that the AUKUS Pillar 2 it is promoting is what Labor did before, but this is incorrect.

“The record shows that Labour leader Chris Hipkins has indicated that he prefers alternative arrangements for the 2023 election.

“The government was unable to sign up to AUKUS Pillar Two because of opposition from both the left and the right, so had to release old briefing documents to try to argue that it was simply a continuation of Labour policy.”

September 2021, UK, US and Australia Military technology partnership announced.

At that time, the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand was not involved and the documents show she was only briefed the night before by then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on a “significant upcoming security announcement”.

The newly disclosed documents include a series of suggestions and recommendations during March 2023, which were triggered by an upcoming face-to-face meeting of AUKUS’s three political leaders that month to outline the next steps for the partnership (the next step being Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, and how Australia would transition from its current fleet).

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The documents state that Australian officials “had arranged to communicate these developments to New Zealand in advance”. They also state:

• AUKUS Second Pillar Gains Momentum
• AUKUS partners have indicated to New Zealand that they agree in principle to open Pillar 2 to other major partners to a certain extent.
• New Zealand’s existing AUKUS policy was decided by ministers based on advice from officials in October 2021
• Eighteen months later, we have learned more about AUKUS
• Officials believe it is time to update New Zealand’s key information on AUKUS

That said, Defence officials proposed “updating New Zealand’s approach”, including “refocusing our key messages”, which would build on and expand New Zealand’s existing core messages.

General talking points about AUKUS included that New Zealand has close relations with AUKUS member states, New Zealand welcomes “security architecture that contributes to regional security and stability and reflects the interests of regional countries”, and New Zealand will work with AUKUS member states on “how we can work together in these areas to our mutual benefit”.

The updated key messages are outlined and include new references to the 2021 New Zealand Defence Review and the upcoming Defence Policy Review, and say New Zealand understands the “strategic drivers of AUKUS”.

The new information also notes that New Zealand has long-standing engagement with Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom on “military capability and interoperability issues, including in areas such as cyber mentioned in AUKUS.”

Asked whether New Zealand would join any non-nuclear part of AUKUS, it said it was a future decision for ministers, “taking into account any invitations from AUKUS partners and an assessment of our national interests.”

On March 9, 2023, then Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and then Defence Minister Andrew Little Conversed with Australian counterpartsThe document sets out discussion points for the meeting, including that New Zealand’s “long-standing non-nuclear policy remains unchanged” and that “we are willing to continue exploring non-nuclear cooperation under AUKUS Pillar 2”.

Another briefing note from a call with then-UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on March 13 last year also noted, “Our long-standing non-nuclear policy has not changed. However, we are interested in potential cooperation on non-nuclear elements under the second pillar of AUKUS.”

A document outlining New Zealand’s position on AUKUS noted that as of March 29, officials had not received any information from their Australian counterparts on how they viewed New Zealand’s position on AUKUS. Leaders’ statement for MarchHowever, “officials informally recognised” that New Zealand’s response “was not satisfactory in Canberra’s view”.

A key point mentioned in a document dated April 12 is that New Zealand is “interested in discussing opportunities with AUKUS partners to collaborate on non-nuclear aspects under AUKUS Pillar 2”.

A background paper later noted that ministers had confirmed to their AUKUS counterparts New Zealand’s “interest in participating in possible opportunities under Pillar Two”, noting that “our interest has also been publicly confirmed by ministers”.

Another document refers to New Zealand’s approach to Pillar Two, noting that Pillar Two “presents significant capability opportunities for New Zealand and also has interoperability implications for the way we work with our key security partners”.

Although redacted, the second bullet point states: “This will ensure we have adequate visibility and provide a basis for what to consider.” Potential What participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 might look like, and the main benefits, risks and impacts. ”

The document also outlines a “contingency media line” for topics that might be raised by the media, including whether New Zealand would join any non-nuclear aspects of AUKUS. The response states: “Whether New Zealand is likely to participate in the non-nuclear aspects of AUKUS will be determined by Ministers in the future, taking into account any invitations from AUKUS partners and an assessment of our national interests. New Zealand is a Pacific nation. Given the legacy of nuclear testing in our region, we remain committed to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.”

The media was also prepared to respond whether New Zealand was concerned about the increased presence of US and British nuclear submarines in the region.

Responses provided included:

• It is important to distinguish between nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear-armed submarines
• New Zealand’s views on nuclear weapons are well known and we continue to advocate for their total elimination.
• We acknowledge that nuclear-powered submarines have been present in the wider region for decades. They are not permitted into New Zealand’s internal waters under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987. This will not change.

An undated document, but designated as a travel record of Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta to Jakarta in mid-July 2023, provides more details about Pillar 2:

Pillar 2 of AUKUS involves a number of New Zealand national interests, including potentially significant defence capability opportunities and military and intelligence interoperability implications as our key security partners develop and adopt advanced technologies and capabilities. New Zealand has indicated to AUKUS partners (and publicly) that we are open to dialogue on what Pillar 2 of AUKUS might bring/mean for New Zealand, but without making any commitments.

A document dated July 20 states that if U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raises the AUKUS issue during his visit on July 26-27, 2023, it could receive a response.

• Emphasized that we understand the strategic drivers of AUKUS in light of the deteriorating geostrategic outlook in the Indo-Pacific region. The same drivers are reflected in our defense policy and strategic statements.
• We reiterate our interest in discussing opportunities for cooperation in the non-nuclear areas of AUKUS Pillar 2. We look forward to high-level engagement on this as soon as possible.

An email dated September 15, 2023, referred to an upcoming joint statement by AUKUS leaders to mark the second anniversary of the original AUKUS statement. In anticipation of renewed media attention, it referred to the key messages available and specifically noted that if a second pillar was proposed:

• Pillar 2 of AUKUS includes cooperation in emerging security areas, including areas where we already work closely with Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Officials are discussing what Pillar 2 might entail or mean for New Zealand, but are not committing to it.

There were similar comments regarding the Foreign Minister’s attendance at the Pacific Islands Forum in September 2023:

• Pillar Two of AUKUS includes cooperation in emerging security areas, including areas where we already work closely with Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Officials are discussing what Pillar Two might entail or mean for New Zealand, but are not committing to it.

Another document, dated September 15, provides more details: “Again, we welcome officials to discuss Pillar 2 and its implications, particularly with respect to our bilateral defense relationship and our shared focus on interoperability in a challenging geostrategic environment.”

Current Position

In a statement released on Friday, the New Zealand government reiterated that New Zealand’s participation in the AUKUS Pillar 2 program was subject to the consent of all parties.

“Two conditions need to be met. First, an invitation is received and second, New Zealand decides to join. The people of New Zealand will be kept informed of this process every step of the way.

“New Zealand’s foreign policy is consistent with the best interests of its citizens and their security and prosperity.”