526 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

526 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: What meetings have New Zealand officials had in which AUKUS was a named agenda item since July 17 2023, by location and date?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: Previous Defence Minister Andrew Little said New Zealand would “explore” participation in AUKUS Pillar Two. Previous Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said that “New Zealand agrees with the AUKUS partners that the collective objective needs to be the delivery of peace and stability and preservation of an international rules-based system in our region.” In line with the Coalition Government’s direction to consider how New Zealand can participate in AUKUS Pillar Two, Ministry officials have continued to engage on a regular basis with a range of international counterparts. More broadly, AUKUS is a standing item of significant international interest with a wide range of different dimensions, which can feature in discussions to varying degrees with a wide range of countries, in varying formats. I am advised that it is not possible to provide a more comprehensive answer to this question within the timeframe for answers to Written Questions.