Aussies applaud NZ military role

By GREG ANSLEY

For the first time since the Anzus split two decades ago, a New Zealand Prime Minister was yesterday applauded in Australia for the nation's defence contribution.

Despite anger at New Zealand's military effort by Australians at the initial meeting of the new transtasman leadership group, 300 leading executives spontaneously clapped as Prime Minister Helen Clark detailed the country's responses to crises in the region and the war against terror.

These included deployments to Afghanistan and East Timor that were, on a per capita basis, larger than those of Australia.

"I try to stay good-humoured about questions [on New Zealand's defence spending and capability], because the assumption always is that New Zealand is somehow the bludger that doesn't spend anything or do anything," said Helen Clark.

"I can tell you that our record is second to none."

Clark's comments to the business circle, delivered as part of a major tourism promotion that continued with spectacular theatrics before a heavyweight audience at Fox Studios last night, followed an earlier grilling on ABC Radio.

Asked about New Zealand's exclusion from a new joint Australia-US training base in Queensland, Helen Clark said while there were "generic problems" in such areas as training under American presidential directives because of the non-nuclear policy, New Zealand troops were able to operate alongside the US in places like Afghanistan.

But she said the non-nuclear stand remained relevant and, while she considered her personal relationship with President George W. Bush to be very good, the issue would have to be worked through with a new Administration if Democrat candidate John Kerry won this year's US election.

"I'm optimistic that over time what happened 20 years ago will be of less and less relevance to the relationship," Clark told the ABC.

The response to her remarks on defence at yesterday's business circle lunch was significant given the long-standing resentment of New Zealand's defence policy and military spending in the Australian business community.

Guests included senior executives from the nation's major banks, media groups and financial companies.

Helen Clark said that since the September 11 attacks New Zealand had made an extraordinary effort in the war against terrorism, including a second six-month SAS deployment to Afghanistan after its initial one-year tour.

She said New Zealand had also committed a provincial reconstruction team to Afghanistan for at least two years and was training the Afghanistan National Army.

The Navy was on its third frigate deployment in the Gulf, the Air Force had based an Orion there for nine months and a Hercules in Kurdistan and New Zealanders were based at the US-led CENTCOM command centre in Florida and the International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul.

"In other words, I don't feel New Zealand should feel inferior to anybody in these respects," she said.

"In fact, per capita, we've probably made one of the highest contributions to the military effort against terrorism."

Helen Clark said that New Zealand had not supported the war in Iraq but had committed an engineering group to the country's reconstruction. It had also supported the regional military force in the Solomons from the outset and would maintain an infantry platoon there for the next two years, and had stayed three years in East Timor.

"Per capita, we have made a bigger military contribution [in Timor] than Australia."

Helen Clark also said the Government had launched a substantial military re-equipment programme.