7 May 2026
New Zealand’s treaty troubles
Quiet changes matter in a Pacific Islands region built on trust.
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28 Apr 2026
Are New Zealand’s politicians ready for a cold stretch?
With chilled exports at risk, closure of the Strait of Hormuz is stretching New Zealand’s export model to breaking point. -
9 Apr 2026
New Zealand’s defence reckoning: From shelter to stormfront
A pivot to spending 2% of GDP and combat-capable rhetoric signals a deeper shift in how NZ sees the world. -
19 Mar 2026
Japan is now the most trusted Asian power in Australia and New Zealand
As faith in China and the United States erodes, Japan has quietly become the partner of choice. -
28 Aug 2025
Why France must join: Turning the Quintet into a Sextet
Paris brings territorial legitimacy, EU leverage and military presence that would strengthen any Indo-Pacific grouping. -
22 Aug 2025
Why the United Kingdom and the Indo-Pacific Four should form a new Quintet
These five resource-constrained democracies face shared challenges that require coordination beyond existing alliance structures. -
8 Aug 2025
Australia and New Zealand’s Pacific approach diverges
A test of regional unity is shaping – potentially to the benefit of all. -
19 May 2025
After listening, what’s Australia’s next move in the Pacific?
Pacific governments will ultimately judge Australia on concrete actions rather than friendly gestures. -
15 Apr 2025
Asia without America? History shows Australia can be confident shaping regional security
The Five Power Defence Arrangements makes for a case in point. -
18 Feb 2025
Why New Zealand should not join AUKUS Pillar II
In joining the Anglosphere, New Zealand jeopardises its point of difference in the Pacific. -
30 Sep 2024
China's missile tests New Zealand's principles
There are three reasons why China’s missile test is a serious challenge to New Zealand’s interests. -
4 Sep 2024
New Zealand's intelligence service warns of growing foreign interference risks
A new security assessment aims to widen the concept of strategic competition beyond the United States and China. -
11 Apr 2024
Pacific Engagement Visas: New developments but quotas unknown
Australia’s highly competitive new visa lottery has much leg work to do to make fair allocations between countries. -
10 Apr 2024
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Next week, voters will determine not only political leadership but the future of democratic processes. -
21 Mar 2024
New Zealand and ASEAN: Focusing on what’s right under its nose
As a country at the end of the global supply chain, New Zealand depends on the stability of Southeast Asia. -
19 Mar 2024
Some allies are more equal than others
Trying to make sense of the curious debate about allies' rankings. -
11 Oct 2023
New Zealand elections: Working together or co-governance?
The two main parties have never been so divided on issues from Māori reparations to renaming the island nation. -
29 Sep 2023
Japan risks its reputation in Oceania with Fukushima discharge
A rollcall of Pacific Island nations have very different views on the release of treated radioactive wastewater. -
11 Jul 2023
“We can’t be passive”: New Zealand’s changing tone about a more worrying world
A new foreign policy assessment sees the Pacific as no longer “strategically benign” – but the concern extends well beyond the region. -
18 May 2023
Remembering Australia’s “other” alliance
New Zealand has dropped off the radar in modern strategic discussions despite the long history of trans-Tasman ties. -
1 May 2023
AUKUS + NZ = win-win
New Zealand can make creative contributions to the technology sides of the partnership – and greatly benefit, too. -
24 Feb 2023
The Australia-New Zealand alliance in a war with China
The potential for conflict in the region should have Canberra and Wellington thinking about shared strategic risks. -
2 Feb 2023
Women leaders: not so poles apart
In seemingly different settings, Jacinda Ardern and Nancy Pelosi confronted much the same challenges. -
19 Jan 2023
Jacinda Ardern’s foreign policy legacy
Major shocks set an agenda and catapulted New Zealand’s youngest ever Prime Minister to international attention. -
16 Aug 2022
Wrong balance of power in Pacific
New Zealand can bolster the international rules-based order by working towards Pacific women’s political representation. -
20 Dec 2021
How New Zealand recognises the people there first: 2021 favourites
New Zealand is taking its indigenous identity to the world in a way that will no doubt bolster its reputation. -
30 Nov 2021
New Zealand: No longer Australia’s Pacific security partner?
Wellington has appeared slow to respond to a crisis in Solomon Islands where once it would have been a regional leader. -
23 Jul 2021
Shouldering their fair share? The ANZUS allies in the Pacific Islands
A reported pivot by special forces to the region raises questions about the role expected of Australia and New Zealand. -
18 Mar 2021
Lessons from Christchurch
The findings of a New Zealand inquiry apply broadly: government leadership is needed to combat far-right extremism. -
23 Feb 2021
Terrorism and New Zealand’s dual citizenship conundrum
This is an age in which dual nationality is widespread, and problems related to alleged ISIS members were foreseeable. -
17 Feb 2021
Allies but not friends? New Zealand and Australia
Trans-Tasman tensions have boiled up over a citizenship case, but this latest spat betrays deeper problems. -
12 Feb 2021
Foreign policy’s “Indigenous moment” is here
Australia needs to step up to the challenge. -
28 Jan 2021
How to China, from your friends in New Zealand
A trade minister goes on record going way off script. -
10 Nov 2020
What does a Biden administration herald for New Zealand?
More congenial relations, certainly, but a competitive diplomatic marketplace in Washington should temper expectations. -
19 Oct 2020
New Zealand’s landslide election and the challenges ahead
A resounding endorsement for a popular prime minister’s virus response. Economic rebuilding stands as the next test. -
14 Oct 2020
Kiwis and hawks: Is New Zealand edging closer to Australia on China?
Views on China appear to be hardening in Wellington, and the next government will be pressed to find a policy balance. -
6 Aug 2020
A force to combat climate change?
The summer bushfires put Australia to the test. They also had future implications for the New Zealand Defence Force. -
27 Jul 2020
Five Eyes: Blurring the lines between intelligence and policy
Intelligence sharing is one thing. Aligning policy with the same brand risks making too exclusive a grouping. -
5 Jun 2020
New Zealand and China: Contending with words and actions
Wellington has a strong history in relations with Beijing, a record that will help in adapting to new complications. -
7 May 2020
Economic diplomacy: Lifting the doona on a post-pandemic world
Australia can boast success in containing the virus. But its economy may still shrink more than other G20 nations. -
28 Apr 2020
New Zealand: Running the marathon
Having started well, there’s a lot to happen yet. And so far this race is not a team event, internationally. -
17 Apr 2020
New Zealand: Life under lockdown and the view of outside
Morale remains good, but the bigger challenge is beyond the borders, seeking a glimpse of international cooperation. -
1 Apr 2020
Covid-19: New Zealand, isolated, yet far from alone
The government acted swiftly to lockdown, leaving the economy reeling. People are supportive – so far. -
11 Sep 2019
Why did the NZ Opposition Leader jump the shark on China?
National is partying like its 2008 and playing domestic politics without a care to the cost. -
30 Jul 2019
The Pacific step up goes to Washington
Finding a voice amid the diplomatic clamour in Washington can sometimes benefit from the help of friends. -
19 Jul 2019
Australia, New Zealand and the “corrosive” character test
Hundreds of Kiwis have had Australian visas cancelled and a new law could see the trans-Tasman dispute yet grow worse. -
22 Mar 2019
Christchurch enters a nightmare peculiar to our times
A different kind of monster stalks our age, but the public still has a choice whether to submit to his wickedness. -
21 Mar 2019
Australia-Turkey: Erdogan’s bitter legacy in present-day history
The intemperate outburst over Christchurch is more a product of Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule. -
19 Mar 2019
Why Jakarta called in Australia’s ambassador after Christchurch
<p>With an Indonesian among the dead, some local politiking has mixed with sadness following the mosque attacks.</p> -
19 Mar 2019
Christchurch attack: the dark web of terrorism as entertainment
The killer pointedly sought to marry mass killing with fringe online humour, desensitising his “audience” to the horror.