Andrew Dickens: NZ missed its chance with the Cook Islands

So, the weekend has been spent watching the Chinese Navy use the Tasman Sea as a firing range.  

They’ve never done this so far south before and you have to wonder why.  

Defence commentators call it a power projection.  

Sure, but don’t project power round here. Don’t divert Air New Zealand and Qantas planes. 

Coincidentally and ironically, it comes at the same time that the Cook Islands have signed a deal which includes wharf construction.  

How naive and stupid is Mark Brown. New wharves are lovely until the Chinese Navy start using them as a staging point to invade the Pacific.  

But it begs the question. Why New Zealand hasn’t built a deep-water base on the island years ago. 

We built the international airport which is the island's lifeline. The airport is also a military base if it needs to be.  

So why didn’t we build a port and why isn’t a ship stationed over there semi permanently. 

The Cook Islands are a semi-autonomous part of New Zealand and should have been our forward base from the get-go. If we were serious about defence. And have we?  

So why didn’t it happen? Oh, the same reason everything else is falling apart. We don’t like spending money. It’s a false economy.  

But now China has stolen a march from right under our feet. Or should I say our flippers.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So this weekend has been spent watching the Chinese navy
use the Tasman Sea as a firing range. They've never
come this far south before, and of course everyone's going, why, well,
why I see that. David Seymour's come out and said
nothing they did was illegal. Oh we know that, mister,
of course, not there in international waters. But why they've
never done that before? Why come down there one hundred

(00:22):
and fifty miles east of Sydney and down round about
the same level as Nelson, New Zealand and fire some missiles.
Defense commentators call it a power projection. Excellent, sure, no problem.
Why do you have to project power around here? Why
do we have to divert air New Zealand and Quantus planes.

(00:42):
Australia believes the firing was purely to hype the fact
that we're here. It wasn't like they were testing their
missiles or anything. They were just saying, by the way, guys,
we're here. We can get down here anytime we like them.
We're ready to rock. Meanwhile, this happens at the same
time that the Cook Islands, of course have signed that
deal that we've been talking about. And then that deal
that includes wharf construction. And you read that and you

(01:07):
wonder how naive and stupid was Matt Brown for going
there at this time and actually signing up a deal
that actually talks about wharf construction. I mean, of course,
new wharves are lovely until one day the Chinese navy
starts using them as a staging point to invade the Pacific.
And that's going to the worst case scenario. It's even
when they come and stay, just come and stop there
for a bit to refuel. You got a Chinese boat

(01:29):
and news Strawts asked Auckland is how they felt in
the old days when the American submarines used to come
here and just park up in their bay. You felt
like you were a target. Anyway, this is what the
Cook Islands has committed to. So this all begs the
question why New Zealand never built a deep water base
on the island years ago. Why we did not build

(01:50):
a wharf. We built the international airport, which of course
is the island's lifeline, but that airport is also a
military base if it needs to be. Why didn't we
build a port, and why don't we have a New
Zealand ship stationed over there? Semi permanently. This is the
This is the entry to the Pacific. The Cook Islands
are a semi autonomous part of New Zealand and a
fine place for us to put a base. It should

(02:12):
have been our forward base from the get go if
we were serious about defense, and have we ever been
serious about defense? So why didn't it happen? Same thing
everything else is falling apart. We don't like spending money, Well,
that is a false economy. Now China has stolen a
march from right under our feet or should I say
our flippers. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

(02:35):
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