Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has advice for New Zealand as it considers joining defence and technology agreement AUKUS.
Morrison, who has been in New Zealand to speak at a forum hosted by Waikato University, was one of the original three leaders to sign the agreement, along with former US President Joe Biden and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In an interview with Q+A, he said any country looking to join AUKUS would have to make a contribution to prove their value to the technology-sharing arrangement.
“What happens with Pillar II is that there would be direct engagement with friendly partners, where you can work together on particular lines of effort, on particular capabilities,” said Morrison. He drew a distinction with the nuclear-powered submarine development taking place between the three core signatories.
He said rocket technology is “one area that comes to mind, where I think New Zealand is ahead of us”.
Referring to Mahia-based Rocket Lab, Morrison said “you should be so proud of them – that’s amazing”.
“To come to the AUKUS table, AUKUS is a highest common denominator partnership. One of the risks you have when you form these things is that everyone comes, and you dilute the whole thing, and it becomes rather meaningless.
“To participate in AUKUS requires a level of trust, capability, and fiscal commitment, which is no small thing. Not every country is going to be able to do that, not every country will be willing to do that,” he said.
“New Zealand has that – it has technological capabilities, it has amazing innovators, and Rocket Lab is an example of that. When it comes to rockets you clearly have some of the best operators in the world.
“On that basis, if you’ve got something to bring, bring it, and don’t forget your wallet.”
Rocket Lab was founded in 2006 by Sir Peter Beck, and is now headquartered in California.
Military applications
While much of what Rocket Lab does is for commercial and scientific purposes, the company has also done work with military applications, including for the US Department of Defense.
That has at times provoked protests and in 2021 Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono put forward a member’s bill aiming to prohibit the launch of military hardware into space from New Zealand soil.
AUKUS was originally established in response to China and its rise in power which was viewed by some as a threat to global security.
Asked in the Q+A interview whether New Zealand joining AUKUS would damage trust in the crucial trading relationship with China, Morrison questioned whether that trust existed in the first place. He characterised China as “a bully”.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has previously said no decision has been made on joining AUKUS Pillar II but it would be a possibility worth exploring. “It would be irresponsible not to find out, particularly when so much of this investigation could be to our massive economic advantage and we need to turn our economy around,” he told 1News in August last year.
He said one of the possible consequences of not joining AUKUS Pillar II could be that New Zealand would be left out as Western allies continued to build interoperable capability.
Q+A with Jack Tame is funded by NZ on Air