There remains no prospect of Aotearoa changing its nuclear-free policy, Defence Minister Chris Penk says, shutting down questions about whether nuclear-powered vessels could ever be allowed into New Zealand waters.
The minister, who has returned from the NATO summit in Türkiye, told Q+A this morning that a hypothetical visit by nuclear-powered vessels was "not necessary to go there".
"There's no prospect that we're changing our nuclear-free policy," he said.
The questions followed controversy over Penk's comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May, when he said it "would be helpful, I think, for us to have that conversation in New Zealand" - referring to Australia, New Zealand's only formal ally, acquiring nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS.
At the time, the remarks drew a clarification from the Prime Minister.
Asked if those remarks were a mistake, Penk said they had been taken out of context.
Defence Minister Judith Collins and Associate Minister Chris Penk say the strategy will future-proof the NZDF. (Source: 1News)
"I'm not responsible for others mischaracterising or taking out of context my answers. It might be that some of that was a good-faith misunderstanding. I prefer to believe that".
Penk said the point he had been making was that Australia's "most significant regional asset", its submarine squadron, was moving to a form of propulsion that would prevent it helping New Zealand in its own waters.
"That's worth a conversation. But that's not the same thing, of course, as to say that we're going to open up in terms of whether we consider a change to our nuclear-free policy."
Pressed on what the upside of allowing the submarines in might be, Penk instead pointed to alternatives.
"There are ways that we can do that that don't necessarily involve either nuclear power or nuclear weapons, certainly," he said.
New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation, in place since 1987, bans nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed vessels from its waters.
For the full interview, watch the video above
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
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