Minister of Defence Judith Collins has hit back at comments from Labour and the Green Party in the wake of the Government's decision to send six Defence Force troops to the Middle East amid international shipping concerns.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen has linked its attacks on ships in the Red Sea to the conflict in Gaza.
They say their attacks target ships that are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports, though the links have reportedly been tenuous for some vessels.
Following a request from the United States, New Zealand is sending six personnel to the region to support future military action against Houthi targets – and the Labour Party said the deployment has "shades of Iraq", referencing former Labour prime minister Helen Clark's rejection of US pressure to join its invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s.
Collins told Breakfast this morning: "That was 20 years ago, they need to move on.
"The only similarity I can see with Iraq and the Red Sea is that they're both somewhere in the Middle East."
Some experts say while the troop numbers we're sending are small, the potential ramifications are enormous. (Source: 1News)
She stressed that Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea are "not a new thing" and rejected any connection between the group's attacks and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Asked about the Green Party's statement that this view is "dangerously naive", Collins said: "I don't think I'm going to take much advice from the Greens on either defence or foreign affair matters.
"What's been happening with the Houthis in the Red Sea has been going on for quite a long time," the minister said. "Many years.
"The war between Gaza and Israel is absolutely a different thing altogether, but the Houthis have decided to start claiming it's all about that when it's been going on for years."
The attacks have fuelled international concerns over a potential wider regional war.
Asked if she feared New Zealand could be dragged into the region's conflict, Collins said: "No, not at all.
"New Zealand and other nations are suffering from the problems with the Red Sea and the inability to take cargo ships through there.
"That is actually adding a lot of cost... That is all affecting every New Zealander."
The attacks are akin to "piracy", she added.
"There's a lot of nations in the world who just want this to stop, they want the Red Sea to be back to where it should be.
"This is adding hugely to inflation and cost to New Zealanders."
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