Judith Collins: Defence Minister on sending defence force plane to the Middle East

A Defence Force team is heading to the Middle East, ready to assist an estimated 180 Kiwis spread between Iran and Israel.

Defence Minister Judith Collins announced a Hercules will leave today for an undisclosed destination, for security reasons.

Airspace in the region is closed, and it's unknown when it will re-open.

Collins says our Defence team will be ready to help.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Miko Rubio in the last couple of hours has talked about, well,
we had JD. Vance come out and say no, we
didn't want regime change in Iran. We just wanted to
hit the nuclear facilities, which is exactly what they did.
But look out, regime change could be coming if you
continue trying to get your hands on a nuclear weapon.
If Iran is committed to becoming a nuclear weapons power,

(00:22):
I do think it puts the regime at risk. I
really do.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
I think it would be the end of the regime
of their tribe to do that.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Now, our Defense Force is sending AC one thirty j
Hercules to the Middle East to assist any key we
stranded in Iran or Israel. Winston Peters at this point
not saying whether we supported America's strikes or not. Judith Collins,
the Minister of Defense, is with me life this morning. Minister,
Good morning, Oh, good morning, Ryan. Do you have any
update on those numbers. Apparently there were lots coming out

(00:49):
of the woodwork yesterday you were saying any more overnight,
not that.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
I'm aware of yet. But as we've said many times now,
people should not be in there as you can possibly
get out to get yourself out there by any sayfish
way possible.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Is it frustrating that people haven't been signing up from
day one and doing what you said?

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, I guess that people work on the pray and
hope strategy often, which is like, I know, we've heard
this all before, nothing's going to happen. In those people
who have been in the region for a while, they
often think like that. But it's a natural human condition
to hope for the best, and I think it's very

(01:35):
important everyone takes the opportunity while they can to get
themselves out to the borders. As I said, those airspace
have not opened up their clothes, so we can't just
fly in. We've got to have people to come out to.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
The borders at mom Yeah, and I mean there are
land borders open from Israel in a Jordan and Egypt
or open, so you could cross land and then potentially
get a commercial flight anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Yes, that's right, But we've also one of the reasons
for having the Hercules there with our people is that
should those should their airspace open up at all, then
we can possibly go into some areas. But the point is,
I really get yourself to a land order if possible.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Yesterday I was watching you and Minister Peters that Finolapie
said that, you know, we're waiting on more information to
determine if the strike was justified or not from the
United States. Do we have any more information? Do you
have a view yet?

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Well, I don't not overnight, and that would normally be
the Foreign Affairs or to deal with that. But no,
I don't have any more information.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
Do you know whether it was legal or illegal?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
No, I'm not trying to give you a legal advice
on something I don't have full information on.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Writ we still have We still have personnel Minister in
Jordan Air for Operation Gallant Phoenix, because I know you
did an update on that a couple of weeks back.
This is under US Special Operations Command. Are they at
any risk of a retaliatory strike by Iran?

Speaker 2 (03:04):
I would not have thought so, and the Defense Force
has made their assessment on risk. We do have, as
you write, you say, quite a few people in the
Middle East, and our people in the Middle East. You know,
obviously for most in our minds, my view is don't
take unnecessary risk, particularly a small nation like ours. We

(03:26):
have to be very careful about what we do but
I don't believe our people are under any particular threats
according to.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Defense, so none of them are being moved.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well, I can't say exactly where everybody is, but I
can tell you that we still are continuing with some
of our operations in the Middle East, but there are
some people have already been moved out. Sorry to be vague,
but we have to be bad.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
It's okay when you say people were moved out, you
mean in the last week as.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
A result of this, in the last week or go.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
And any change to the war games that are going
to be happening. I think it's July nine due to
start a Talisman Saber in off the Queensland coast. We've got,
you know, people being sent there. Any change to that
at all.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Not that I'm aware of. I wouldn't have thought not.
It just depends what happens. I mean, I think everyone's
very aware in the sense that anything can happen at
any stage, so they've just got to be prepared. But
at this stage there's no change, okay.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
And new funding for Ukraine, I see it announced overnight
by Prime Minister Luxe and we had actually the ambassador
on our Herald show a week or so ago and
he was talking about maybe we could pick up some
of their drones. Are we looking at that at all?

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yes, we have actually quite a few drones ourselves in
terms of the manufacturing of New Zealand, but it would
be it's a very nice offer that Ukraine has learned
an awful lot about warfare using drones, and they're also
they've made let's say that have learnt a lot more
than many other people have. So there's nothing wrong with

(05:04):
us actually talking to Ukraine about what those lessons are.
Impossibly some of those drugs, but I think right at
the moment they're drones net the theory in crime.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Appreciate your time this morning, minister. That's Judith Colin, c
Defense Minister. For more from earlier edition with Ryan Bridge.
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