WELLINGTON, New Zealand — As the U.S., China and other powers vie for strategic influence in Pacific Island militaries, the army chief of New Zealand told The Associated Press that not all of the larger nations bidding to offer support are supplying what tiny island nations find most helpful.
New Zealand, which has trained Pacific soldiers for decades, has little military might and has instead long cultivated its reputation through a type of humble soft power when its armed forces are stationed abroad. It has drawn trust by encouraging frank relationships and “diversity of thought” among its training partners in the South Pacific Ocean, Maj. Gen. Rose King told the AP in an interview at defense headquarters in Wellington on Friday. The army’s highest ranking official, who was appointed in June, is the first woman to lead a branch of the New Zealand military.
“One of the things we’re hearing from some of the Pacific nations is lots of people offering help, but it’s not necessarily the help they want or need,” she said. King’s remarks come during an explosion of what she termed the “great power competition” for Pacific influence, with the vast oceanic region of tiny island and atoll nations becoming one of the world’s most fraught sites of geopolitical contest.
China's influence in the region alarms the West
King did not single out countries by name. Military chiefs in New Zealand are in non-political roles and are not permitted to comment publicly on government policy. That includes decisions about foreign affairs or military deployments. But New Zealand’s 2023 defense policy statement cites China’s assertive push through the Pacific over the past decade shoring up security deals and agreements to train or equip military or police in a growing list of friendly nations. That has alarmed Western powers so much that it has provoked the U.S. and Australia to pitch their own training measures.
Small military but strong on forging relationships
New Zealand’s army totals a few thousand members for a remote island nation of 5 million people, with little military might or front-line combat involvement in modern times. Military spending is tiny, even for a small nation. But defense analysts say larger powers could learn from New Zealand how to forge better relationships in the Pacific.
“The U.S. and Australia don’t always get those personal relationships quite right, they don’t know how to sit and listen properly,” said Blake Johnson, from the think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The U.S. at times struggled to scale down its proposals to fit Pacific needs, he said.
“And the way that China polices is different to the way that Australia and New Zealand polices,” Johnson said. “They’re typically a bit heavier-handed in their response.”
New Zealand, however, had strong Indigenous cultural links with the Pacific, understood small-scale operations and had the flexibility to adapt. “If anything it’d be great if New Zealand could shout a bit louder to the other partners,” he said.
But New Zealand’s small military footprint presents challenges too. King inherited an army described within the defense force as fragile and hollow. Attrition rates for the service have fallen since a 2022 peak of just over 17% but remain at more than 9% — high among comparable countries.
Vehicles and buildings have grown run down and some barracks where soldiers live with their families are out of use due to black mold. New Zealand does not have a strong military service culture among the public and as a result, politicians need not impress voters with big defense budgets.
Military spending fell to 0.9% of gross domestic product this year from 1% last year and as austerity sweeps across New Zealand’s public sector, the army, too is faced with cuts to make up the shortfall.
“Part of me is really proud that most New Zealanders don’t necessarily see the same threats that I see face our country,” King said. “But yes, there are challenges with that as well.”
When she and her husband, who is also in the army, spent time in America, they were surprised to be thanked for their service by strangers. “That generally doesn’t happen in New Zealand,” King said. “I do think there’s an opportunity for us to share our story more.”
More women in the New Zealand army's ranks
King downplays her status as the first woman to lead a military service in New Zealand. Joining the army in 1991, she arrived at a time when she could not serve in all parts of the army because she was a woman.
Now, 15% of serving army personnel are women. “I would hope to see that figure increase, definitely,” King said, although she was reluctant to cite her planned measures to lift it.
Military forces globally face other cultural challenges to which New Zealand is not immune. The difficulty of detecting those with extremist views who enter the service, for example, particularly white supremacists, has vexed countries including the U.S.
“I’m confident that we’re doing our best in regard to, how do we ensure we’re getting the right people to join us?” King said.
Changes around the world affect New Zealand's army also
Despite the country’s remote location and small military footprint, New Zealand’s army faces more pressure on its resources and staff than before and uncertainty about how to prepare for the future. State-on-state conflict — once almost eliminated — is surging in the Russia-Ukraine war and in the Middle East, while climate change pummels New Zealand and the Pacific, with the army facing growing demand for humanitarian aid.
“You’re going to have an increase not only in the frequency of climate change, but also the scale of what’s occurring is at bigger levels, and anything that happens in the Pacific impacts us," said King.
Matters such as transnational crime showed the current threat environment was not simply “war or not war,” she said.
“I think it comes down to what New Zealand is,” said King, noting that her country is a small, trade-based nation at the bottom of the world.
“If we don’t have the international rules-based order that we currently have, if that is challenged, then we are challenged as a nation,” she said.
