Reimagining NZ’s defence partnership with the US won’t compromise a nuclear-free identity - David Santoro

Opinion byDavid SantoroNZ Herald·9 Aug, 2026 05:00 PM5 mins to readDavid Santoro is president of the Hawaii-based Pacific Forum - a non-profit foreign policy research institute in Honolulu. It aims to bolster US and allied deterrence in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region.Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC in April.For decades, the world has viewed New Zealand as a tranquil South Pacific sanctuary insulated from global flashpoints. But in an era of cyber warfare, grey-zone coercion and space-domain competition, the tyranny of distance has evaporated. From the recent Wellington-Washington Strategic Dialogue to the purchase of advanced Seahawk helicopters