Judith Collins: Defence Minister on the $12 billion budget for defence

The Government's promising to spend big in areas of defence, including improving its fleet in the air, and on the land, and sea. 

The long-awaited Defence Capability Plan was released yesterday afternoon, with $12 billion worth of public spending across four years – $9 billion of which is deemed new spending. 

It includes plans to bring defence spending up to two percent of GDP, with procurement for maritime helicopters, vehicles, and a replacement plane fleet. 

The Defence Minister is confident in the work done by Finance Minister Nicola Willis, reassuring they’re not spending money New Zealand does not have.  

Judith Collins is also standing by changes making it easier to enter the armed forces. 

Since last year most Defence Force roles now only require three years of high school to Year 11, instead of passing Level One credits. 

More technical roles now only require a Level Two certificate. 

Collins told Mike Hosking being smart academically is helpful but isn't the first port of call. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back to our defense boost twelve billion over four years baseline,
not a ceiling, which was the encouraging part. I guess
it will be at least two percent of GDP eventually
nine billion of its brand new money to the Defense
Minister Judith Collins as well, it's very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Make it felt a bit grown up yesterday. Does it
feel that way to you that we might be back
in the world and playing our role?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, yes, it's a good way of putting it. Growing up.
Understanding the will is not the way we'd like it
to be. We have to deal with what we've got
and what we expect might be might it might look
like in a few years time.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
The forces had to be stoked, sorry, the forces had
to be giving them opinions of dollars.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
I am told. I'm told that they are particularly stoked
yesterday afternoon, and I'm sure they'll be stoked today too,
But it's late. They've had thirty five years, except for
that small period when Ron Mark was the minister and
he actually got them some really good kit, but they've
had thirty five years of being accid.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Frankly, and speaking speaking of ron Mark, we had him
on the program earlier he was suggesting it to ACT
in New Zealand first. That has nudged you towards these
sort of announcements, true or not.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
No, In fact, i'd say that there's something I've been
working on, as I'm sure you know, for about the
last year or so. But also I am very very
grateful for the support that I've had from both ACT
and you see them first, as well as my caucus
and cabinet colleagues. Understanding that this is big money. We
know it has to happen, but it's a coalition deal.

(01:36):
I'm very happy with the way that they have backed
me up on it.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Having watched the press conference yesterday, I know you're not
going to talk about the money, but just to just
to clear it up for people, because there is some
concern around wages and the fact that there are three
ships tied up because we've got no people. The wages
is a budget announcement which will be made in the
budget that is separate to the billions for ships and
planes and drones.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Friday aware that last year we've got a big increase,
particularly for our let's say, not the brass, the people,
the ones who are less experienced we got them a
big increase and at the moment, the starting so are
we going into the military, is about sixty five thousand

(02:23):
something like that plus said military, sorry to say, plus
accommodation and free medical and all that from their first
start as trainees. But are in there they pace up
towards accommodation. But they do, however, still get free medical
and dental treatment as well as that. So that's not

(02:44):
a bad starting salary for someone out of school or
out of the university.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
I would agree on the qualifications thing, which wasn't part
of yesterday's announcement but was quietly dropped last year. Apparently
you just basically need to have gone to high school
for three years and you don't even need level one anymore.
Are you taking a risk in terms of talent or
are these just people who didn't get along at school
and the military might just be the magic for them.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Well, I think it's the letter, and there's right marks
to be a well that he said, there's probably a moment.
Shouldn't really be sharing it, but I'm going to anyway,
he said, Oh, under the way, it was a few
years ago, he said, even I wouldn't be able to
get in there, and he wouldn't be able to get
in there. The fact is that we need people who
will turn up, who will take orders, will clear enough

(03:32):
to understand what things mean, but also have an absolute
passion willingness to learn and be part of defense force.
So where are not someone's brilliant academically That's not necessarily
the first part of court, although that is also helpful.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yeah, I know, once again, budget you won't explain it,
but you have the billions, and this is billions we
don't have. And I'm a conservative and I worry about
spending money we don't have. Will we be reassured come
budget Day that it at least makes sense?

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yes, I'm very very confident and work at Nichol Willis's
Finance minister has done on this and I would say
too too, is that in New Zealand Defense has eight
hundred suppliers from New Zealand. Even now, the work that's
going to be going into our defense industry here, particularly

(04:23):
around phrones of a high tech kit which some New
Zealand businesses are already supplying the offscore military. We are
going to be growing the economy and actually in the
high tech way, not in we're not building tanks, but
we are going to be building drones.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Good exciting times. Appreciate it very much, Defense Minister, due
to the Collins with us this morning. For more from
the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks that'd
be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on
iHeartRadio