US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Foreign Minister Winston Peters in Washington, DC, on March 18, 2025.
Photo: AFP / Saul Loeb
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has spoken to his American counterpart Marco Rubio about defence and trade on Friday morning.
The Minister was delighted to speak to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this morning.
The discussed:
-US-NZ bilateral relations, including on defence, trade and development.
-Recent events in the Pacific, including last week’s PIF meetings in Suva;
-The conflict in Gaza… pic.twitter.com/4gHiCRB7r2
— Winston Peters (@NewZealandMFA) August 21, 2025
Peters said he was “delighted” to speak to Rubio on the call about US-NZ bilateral relations including defence, trade and development.
The pair also discussed last week’s Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers meeting in Suva and recent developments in the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
A readout from the US State Department said Rubio expressed his appreciation for New Zealand’s “recent courageous operation” to evacuate US personnel from McMurdo Station in Antarctica.
“The Secretary and Foreign Minister also reaffirmed the strength of the US-New Zealand bilateral relationship,” it said.
Winston Peters at the defence spending announcement on Thursday.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The meeting follows yesterday’s announcement of the first tranche of the coalition’s $12 billion spend on defence over the next four years.
The first investment of $2.7b will buy five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to replace the existing maritime fleet, and two Airbus A321XLR aircraft to replace the 757s.
The helicopters make up the bulk of the expense, costing more than $2b, while the planes account for a $620 million capital cost and four-year operating cost of $80.86m under a six-year lease-to-buy agreement.
They will be procured directly through the United States’ Foreign Military Sales programme instead of going to a wider tender, with Cabinet to consider the final business case next year.
The coalition hasstepped up New Zealand’s defence spend after pressure from the second Trump administration for countries to step up their investment.
Speaking at yesterday’s defence announcement, Peters said the intersection between New Zealand’s defence and foreign policy was more important than ever before.
“We face the most challenging strategic circumstances in New Zealand’s modern history, and certainly the worst that anyone today working in politics or foreign affairs can remember.
“Interests that New Zealand has long sought to advance are under serious pressure. Assumptions that have underpinned our policy settings for generations are being upended. While not without opportunity, this is a less predictable world for small states such as ours to navigate.”
Australia has also stepped up its defence spend this year, unveiling a mega $50 billion defence spending increase over the next decade.