Joining Fiji-Australia Defence Alliance A First Step For Protecting NZ
PILLAR has welcomed reports that New Zealand is exploring participation in the Fiji–Australia Defence Alliance, describing the move as a positive step towards strengthening regional security and reinforcing New Zealand's commitment to a free, stable, and sovereign Pacific.
Arian Tashakkori, Head of Operations PILLAR, said closer defence cooperation among democratic partners is becoming increasingly important as the Indo-Pacific faces growing strategic competition.
"Strengthening security cooperation with trusted Pacific partners helps safeguard regional stability while supporting the sovereignty and independence of Pacific nations. China’s long destabilizing behaviour in our region means it is time to act"
Mr Tashakkori said New Zealand's security interests are inseparable from those of its Pacific neighbours.
"New Zealand's intelligence agencies have consistently warned about the threat posed by the People's Republic of China through foreign interference, transnational repression, and its expanding strategic presence throughout the Pacific. These concerns are increasingly shared across the region."
Defence cooperation acts as an important deterrent to coercion and foreign interference.
“A secure, economically resilient, and institutionally strong Pacific is better equipped to resist external coercion and preserve its sovereign right to determine its own future. That strengthens not only our neighbours, but New Zealand's own long-term security."
Mr Tashakkori said recent developments demonstrate why regional security cooperation can no longer be viewed as optional.
The Solomon Islands' security agreement with China in 2022, the Cook Islands' Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China, and increasing Chinese military activity in our region — including naval exercises in the Tasman Sea in 2025 and the launching of Nuclear Capable Test-Missiles into our Nuclear Free Zone in recent days — demonstrate that the strategic environment in the Pacific has fundamentally changed."
PILLAR continues to advocate for stronger protections against foreign interference, transnational repression, and transnational organised crime, recognising these as growing threats to New Zealand's democratic institutions and individual freedoms.
PILLAR’s proposed Foreign Influence Transparency Bill is a decisive step toward strengthening New Zealand’s sovereignty, security, and democratic resilience. The Bill was released at the International Symposium on Countering Foreign Interference.
"As a stable liberal democracy, New Zealand has both an interest and a responsibility to stand alongside our Pacific neighbours in protecting the rules-based order that has underpinned decades of peace and prosperity."
Closer security partnerships between democratic nations are essential as geopolitical competition intensifies.
"As great power competition returns and the international order becomes more contested, democratic nations must work together to protect their sovereignty, defend the rule of law, and preserve the freedoms that underpin our societies. If New Zealand joins this partnership, it will send a strong signal that we remain committed to a secure, resilient, and free Pacific."
Today’s strategic environment cannot afford us the luxury of neutrality on matters of security. Fundamentally, freedom is not neutral, New Zealand must stand firmly for it, especially in the face of those who so blatantly threaten it.
ENDS