The ‘freeloading’ jab that’s forced NZ into a defence debate
From The Front Page by NZ Herald
June 2, 2026 · 15 min
About this episode
The episode discusses New Zealand's defence spending and nuclear-free policy in light of recent international pressures.
Frigates, freeloading, and our nuclear-free identity are all suddenly up for debate. New Zealand is being called a “freeloader” by the US Secretary of War for not increasing our defence spending as much as he’d like. Meanwhile, there’s a suggestion that we should have a “conversation” about our decades-old nuclear-free policy. So, as the world rearms and pressure from allies grows, where does New Zealand draw the line? Today on The Front Page, University of Waikato international law professor Al Gillespie is with us to talk about what happens next. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea Daniels Editor/Producer: Richard Martin Producer: Jane Yee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Chelsea Daniels
Guest: Al Gillespie
Topics covered
- defence spending
- nuclear-free policy
- international relations
- New Zealand
- US relations
- military debate
Keywords
- defence
- New Zealand
- nuclear-free
- Al Gillespie
- US Secretary of War
- international law
- military
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Waikato, NZ Herald, US Secretary of War
Places: New Zealand
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