A man kitesurfs on a warm spring day in Auckland September 30th, 2011. WELLINGTON, Sept. 16 - Reuters - The Prime Minister of Australia said on Thursday that new nuclear military submarines would not be allowed in its territorial waters under a long standing nuclear free policy.
A new Indo-Pacific security partnership announced by U.S. president Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Boris Johnson will see Australia provide the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.
The Indo-Pacific deal is widely seen as a counter to China's growing influence in the region. I discussed the arrangement with Prime Minister Ardern last night, at a news conference.
I am pleased that our sector has opened the eyes to a partner that we work closely with. It's a contested region and there is a role that other can play in taking an interest in our region. The lens we'll look at this to include stability, she said.
However, Ardern said that nuclear-powered submarines would not be allowed in New Zealand waters under a 1984 nuclear free zone policy.
Certainly they couldn't come into our internal waters.
No vessel that is partly or fully powered by nuclear energy is able to enter our internal borders, she said.
Ardern said the new Indo-Pacific grouping does not change the security and intelligence ties of New Zealand, which is a member of the Five Eyes, a post-war intelligence grouping that also includes the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada.
This is not a treaty-level arrangement. Australia's close relationship to Five Eyes or our existing partnership with Australia on defence issues, she said.
Ardern, who is in her second term in office, has looked to focus on a more independent Foreign Policy that is not loyal to any major bloc.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said she was uncomfortable with expanding the role of the Five Eyes, drawing criticism from Western allies who said New Zealand was reluctant to criticise China because of its trade ties.