Several Singaporean vehicles involved in a joint training exercise were spotted on Wellington's waterfront.
Wellington residents were greeted with a show of firepower this morning when multiple military vehicles were spotted on the city’s waterfront.
A line of self-propelled howitzers belonging to the Singaporean Armed Forces were photographed at the port.
They had been in New Zealand for an annual military training exercise between the two countries.
Exercise Thunder Warrior is carried out at the Waiouru Military Camp in the centre of the North Island.
It is an artillery-based operation that includes the firing of live rounds.
The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the training partnership with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has been happening annually since 1997 and represents longstanding relations between the two armed forces.
The Herald has approached the NZDF for comment.
According to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore is our “most important defence partner in Southeast Asia”.
“There is significant bilateral engagement across all levels of New Zealand’s defence sector, co-ordinated by the Singapore-based defence adviser,” its website states.
“The defence and security pillar of the New Zealand-Singapore Enhanced Partnership supports greater co-operation in areas such as cyber threats, the technical aspects of safety and security, and in homeland security technology.”
In 2019, Singaporean actor Aloysius Pang sustained serious injuries to his chest and abdomen while carrying out repairs inside a self-propelled howitzer during that year’s exercise.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Tina Veaila told the Herald her family 'can’t survive in Tonga'.