Advocating for peace: Phil Twyford sets out the government's approach to disarmament and the role in it of the New Zealand Defence Force.

• Author: Twyford, Phil

On the face of it, some people might think a disarmament and arms control minister is a fish out of water making a speech about peace on a military base. A line of questioning I have had more than once in some of my public engagements as minister is why New Zealand has a defence force at all, given our strong and principled stance on disarmament.

I do not think the two are mutually exclusive. There is no contradiction between strong, modern armed forces and being a force for peace in the world. In fact, these two essential pieces of our foreign policy need each other. Modern armed forces, I would argue, must be deployed to make the world a safer and more peaceful place, and our disarmament diplomacy, to be successful, must be grounded in a realistic understanding of modern warfare. In my role I am something of a de facto minister for peace. People look to this role as one that will advocate for peace on the world stage. It is a unique role which no other country has--it is mandated by our nuclear-free legislation.

I want to provide a few comments about New Zealand's leadership on disarmament, situating this in the context of our broader foreign policy. I will step through some of the challenges and opportunities we face in an increasingly challenging international environment. I will then turn to how our disarmament work and the work of the New Zealand Defence Force complement each other--ultimately reinforcing the international rules-based order on which New Zealand relies.

Why, on the long list of New Zealand's foreign policy priorities, has disarmament, particularly nuclear issues, consistently ranked so highly? Anti-nuclear advocacy has been at the heart of our foreign policy now for 40 years. It has shaped our national identity and internationally we are known for it.

So why do we feel so strongly about this issue? It is existential. We are at a greater risk of nuclear catastrophe than at any time since the height of the Cold War--we need only look at Putin's war in Ukraine or the actions of North Korea as grim examples of this reality. New Zealand's message remains that nuclear weapons do not make anyone safer and no longer have a place in our world--and actually this reflects the view of the majority of countries.

Three pillars

But let us look at this through the lens of our broader foreign policy. During her speech to the Lowy Institute in Sydney last year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern identified three key pillars of New Zealand's foreign policy.

First, our sense of collectivism or global co-operation. This means that, in the face of global conflict and tension, we continue to position ourselves based on the principle of upholding the rules-based order through multilateral institutions. And when seeking solutions to issues, be it war or dispute, New Zealand turns to these same institutions, often in the company of others who share similar values and interests.

Second, seeking partnerships and approaches based on our values. We recognise that we have a moral responsibility to do our part to maintain the rules-based order and that falls on each of us to defend and uphold...