An R.N.Z.A.F. 757-200 in 2024. These are due for replacement (R. Glennie) It is generally recommended that O.E.C.D. countries spend about 2% of the G.D.P. on defence. According to World Bank data, O.E.C.D. expenditure as a percentage of G.D.P. ranges from Israel spending 8.8% to Ireland, which spends 0.2% of its G.D.P. on its military … Continue reading N.Z. Defence Force spending priorities in 2026: My take
Defence spending increases; no change in nuclear free Aotearoa
H.M.N.Z.S Te Mana during Operation Crucible, 2022 (Source: N.Z.D.F.) The fiscal budget last week announced a significant - and long expected - increase in defence spending. It is one that I for a change, approve of as I have long viewed New Zealand as under-investing in the New Zealand Defence Force. What came as a … Continue reading Defence spending increases; no change in nuclear free Aotearoa
Lest we forget the price of New Zealand at war
Remembering the price of war: crosses for fallen N.Z. personnel (R. Glennie) In 2018, I stood in W.W.1 trenches in near the Belgian town of Ypres, a town outside of which five significant battles were fought in W.W.1. The worst was Third Ypres (Passchendaele), with about 550,000 Allied and German soldiers killed. Third Ypres was … Continue reading Lest we forget the price of New Zealand at war
New Zealand’s prospects if we have W.W.3
The chart of the Doomsday Clock since its inception in 1947. This was made before the 2026 adjustment to 85 seconds to midnight (Wikipedia). In 1947, noting the accelerating post-W.W.2. arms race between the U.S.S.R. and the western world, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists was established. Then, before climate change registered as a potential problem, … Continue reading New Zealand’s prospects if we have W.W.3
The need to reform N.Z.’s energy sector
Marsden Point refinery should not be the only energy infrastructure we invest in. (Wikipedia) As the U.S./Israel war against Iran continues, it is clear that Iran holds a degree of geopolitical influence in the Middle East that many have overlooked. It also highlights how important a body of salt water between Iran and Saudi Arabia … Continue reading The need to reform N.Z.’s energy sector