12. Question No. 12—DefenceTEANAU TUIONO (Green) to the Minister of DefenceQuestion No. 12—Defence12. TEANAU TUIONO (Green) to the Minister of Defence: Does he stand by his statement that joining AUKUS could not compromise our legal obligations and our moral commitment to nuclear-free"; if so does he think that AUKUS is a threat to a nuclear-free and independent Pacific?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Defence): I stand by my full statement which was we "would not compromise and could not compromise our legal obligations and our moral commitment to a nuclear-free Pacific." To the second part of the member's question no.Teanau Tuiono: Does he agree with the Minister of Foreign Affairs that "Our concern is not to see the militarisation of the Pacific that the Treaty of Rarotonga [is] … upheld"; and if so why is New Zealand even considering joining AUKUS?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: A number of things. First of all the agreement between Australia the United States and the United Kingdom is a technology agreement. Secondly both the Minister of Foreign Affairs—the Hon Nanaia Mahuta—and I agree that in the face of militarisation particularly on the part of China to the extent of an increase of their military capacity tenfold since 2000 means the circumstances in our region of the world are changing and we cannot ignore them. Finally this country with this Government does have to think carefully about how we ensure we can protect the best interests not only of New Zealand but our Pacific neighbours working alongside with them. Teanau Tuiono: Does he agree with the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands that the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal goes against the Treaty of Rarotonga; and if not why not?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: No I don't because the Treaty of Rarotonga is very clear that it is about the prohibition of and the removal of nuclear weaponry from the South Pacific. It does not bear upon nuclear propulsion of vessels such as submarines or ships and it is nuclear propulsion that Australia has signed up to under its AUKUS agreement.Golriz Ghahraman: Does he agree with Auckland Peace Action that "Signing up to one part of AUKUS is joining a nuclear arms alliance"; if not why not?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: No because that's extremist and alarmist and frankly completely ridiculous.Golriz Ghahraman: Does he agree with former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that "The focus [of] … our region is on furthering the Pacific values and the focus that Pacific Island leaders have determined for themselves"; if so does he believe a US-led military alliance which undermines the nuclear-free Pacific upholds Pacific values and independence?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: I'm not aware of a US-led military alliance that undermines the nuclear-free Pacific.Golriz Ghahraman: Does AUKUS—a military partnership which undermines a nuclear-free Pacific—reflect his Government's stated commitment to supporting Pacific leadership in facing the climate crisis and inequality as the key challenges of our region?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: This Government is and was an early signatory and promoter of the Treaty of Rarotonga since 1985. We stand by that. It follows the adoption by this country of legislation—by a Labour Government—that keeps us nuclear free in all respects. We remain totally committed to that as I think actually pretty much every New Zealander is. We work closely with our partners in the Pacific to make sure that their priorities particularly their need for resilience against climate change is a top priority for us. That is why we wanted to ensure that our New Zealand Defence Force remains equipped to respond as quickly as possible to them in their times of need at a time when climate change is creating more frequent and more intense weather events."