Asean's perspective of New Zealand's place in Asia

Abstract

New Zealand and Australia are connected through their Closer Economic Relations (CER) and Closer Defence Relations (CDR) arrangements. The integration goes well beyond what the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been able to achieve or, many would argue, is likely to achieve in the foreseeable future. New Zealand’s defence posture may not have sufficiently recognised these powerful currents, in part because distance deprives New Zealanders of any real sense of threat, although recently there have been signs of change in official thinking. Better defence capabilities would also enable New Zealand to be more than a bit player in the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA)