Defence Minister Judith Collins and her Australian counterpart Richard Marles, with Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong at the official welcome in Melbourne on 1 February, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Katie Scotcher
Australia will this year send officials to New Zealand to brief the government on AUKUS Pillar Two developments.
New Zealand and Australia's defence and foreign affairs ministers have just wrapped up their first joint meeting in Melbourne.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said his country would keep New Zealand updated on the second pillar of the deal, which was focused on advanced technology.
Defence Minister Judith Collins said New Zealand still needed to work out what it could add to the agreement.
It was not clear who exactly the officials will be or when they will visit.
In a joint statement, the ministers acknowledged the meetings were taking place against a backdrop of "the most challenging strategic environment in decades".
They said a reinforced security alliance was crucial to safeguarding national interests and contributing to the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.
Ministers also committed to increasing integration between military forces, including through common capability, exchanges of senior military officers and increased participation in warfighting exercises as well as continuing efforts to strengthen regional cooperation and interoperability in conjunction with Pacific countries.
They said they wanted an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, where sovereignty was respected, and internationally agreed rules and norms are adhered to.
The statement also acknowledged the threat of foreign interference and information manipulation, including disinformation, which Australia, New Zealand and the Indo-Pacific region faced.
They have tasked officials to reconvene quickly in a joint format to coordinate more closely on partnering and delivering for the region.
"In a year when a significant portion of the world's population will participate in elections, ministers underlined the need for resilient, robust, and transparent institutions and processes, both domestically and internationally.
"Ministers committed to Australia and New Zealand deepening their cooperation on security challenges, to sharing information and best practice, and building collective resilience."
They said Thursday's inaugural joint meeting was an example of this commitment. New Zealand is set to host the next joint inaugural meeting in 2025.
The support for Solomon Islands' hosting of the 2023 Pacific Games and Australia and Fiji's support to New Zealand after Cyclone Gabrielle were also noted.
They talked about how both countries could support the new Pacific Policing Initiative on ready response being led by the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police, and committed to strengthening Pacific policing through enhanced support for equipment, training and infrastructure.
Ministers said they looked forward to working alongside the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting (SPDMM) members to develop new regional initiatives, including the Defence Pacific Response Group.
"They also agreed to continue close cooperation to enhance and promote regional cyber resilience with our Pacific partners."
New Zealand will host SPDMM in Auckland later this year.
The ministers also expressed shared interest for a Five Eyes Defence Ministers' Meeting later this year.
