Judith Collins Tells Security Summit NZ Setting Up Space Squadron

Tuesday, 3 June 2025, 3:56 pm
Article: RNZ

Phil Pennington, Reporter

The Defence Minister has told a security summit New Zealand is setting up a space squadron against a backdrop of rising threats.

Judith Collins told the high level Shangri-La inter-governmental conference in Singapore the Air Force's 62 Squadron would be reactivated.

She also told the summit that as New Zealand doubled its defence spending, "We need to ensure that we are building capabilities that are effective into the future and this is particularly true for the domains of space, cyber and undersea warfare."

In World War Two 62 Squadron ran radar operations in the Pacific in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands, including in the Guadacanal campaign.

"The 21st century 62 Squadron will again turn to the skies, it's just going to be a little bit higher this time," Collins said, appearing on a panel talking about cyber, undersea and space challenges.

Reuters previously reported the squadron would be reactivated in July with 15 personnel in what was a symbolic step to formalise the significance of the space work the Air Force was already doing.

Collins told the summit New Zealand was also working with its partners to "leverage out launch capabilities and our other unique advantages such as a lack of immediate neighbours, to support our shared security interests".

The United States recently confirmed it was in talks with several partner countries, including New Zealand, about the potential for more military satellite launches in future - though Collins had said she was not "directly" engaged with that, and the NZ Defence Force said launch contracts were a matter for the US and private company Rocket Lab that has spaceports at Mahia and in the US.

"No nation can work on space alone," Collins told the summit, while pointing out "we beat Russia" for the number of rocket launches last year.

Transparency around space, cyber and undersea developments was key to avoid misunderstandings, she said.

China's senior colonel Shen Zhixiong said the militarisation of space and other emerging technology domains had accelerated, undermining collective security, asking the panel how the international community should resolve that.

Collins herself had noted New Zealand's reliance as a small state on a rules-based order.

Also, she noted satellites were increasingly crucial and "increasingly attractive targets for hostile action" despite the big downsides of using weapons in space.

She singled out Russia, and claims from US lawmakers that Moscow was developing a nuclear weapon for use in space, for special mention.

The $12 billion defence capability plan that covered till 2029, and aimed by 2032 to double New Zealand defence spending, would make the NZDF "increasingly lethal", she told the summit.

The plan featured investment in space systems (up to $600m by 2029), cyber (up to $300m) and "for the very first time" in maritime surface and subsea drones (up to $100m) to surveil what was happening in New Zealand's vast ocean surrounds, she said.

However, Budget 2025 provided only $30m for space shared with a range of other "small-scale" projects; it had no funding for maritime drones, only for aerial counter-drone systems.

There was an undisclosed amount for "an initial uplift to the defensive cyber capabilities" from 2025-29, Budget 2025 said.

A lot of money is still having to be poured into conventional kit - replacing both the Navy's maritime helicopters, and the old, breakdown-prone two 757 planes operated by the Air Force.

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