AUKUS’s impact on New Zealand: Nuclear policy ‘unchanged’, Five Eyes ‘will endure’ in face of new defence pact – Newshub

Miller told Newshub if the other Five Eyes member, Canada, had been part of the AUKUS, then it may have suggested New Zealand was on the outer. But that's not the case.

"Canada and New Zealand both share similarities and positioning regarding China, which is more balanced than those other three. So it's perhaps not a surprise, and that maybe softens the blow somewhat. The fact that it's both Canada and New Zealand not being included."

He said AUKUS appeared to be three close allies formalising their alliance.

"I think most New Zealanders would probably say good luck to them, but it's not really where we are at these days."

Speaking to the Australian Financial Review, Brent Sadler, a senior fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology at the Heritage Foundation, said New Zealand has to deal with the consequences of being independent.

"China loves to jump on any sort of split or friction between our allies and drive them apart. New Zealand not being part of that does provide an unnecessary seam."

Miller didn't expect China would be happy with the new pact, something its Washington Embassy made clear on Thursday morning, accusing the nations of a "Cold War mentality".

"They don't like these alliances," Miller said. "They will feel encircled."

With a colossal trading relationship with China, New Zealand has long been careful with its actions, hoping not to provoke the economic heavyweight.

"New Zealand wants to be good friends with everybody," Miller said. "It's very much been the New Zealand foreign policy position for decades now, to have friends everywhere as a small trading nation at the bottom of the world.

"New Zealand's come under a lot of pressure this year to shift its position more to the Western position. But so far, New Zealand's been fairly successful in resisting that,

"I think now New Zealanders are largely quite comfortable with the foreign policy. I think New Zealand has forged a new direction and that's quite different from the likes of Australia and the US from Britain. I think New Zealand is very comfortable in its own skin now. This alliance to me just seems like in another league compared with New Zealand."

Ardern said New Zealand's "lens will always be from that of a Pacific nation" wanting peace, stability and a rules-based order. But she said that didn't "diminish the role we have to play" globally.

Ardern welcomed the UK and US's engagement in the region.

"I am pleased to say that the eye has been tuned to our region from partners that we work closely with, because, of course, this is a contested region, there is a role that others can play in taking an interest in our region, but the lens we'll look at this from will include stability."

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AUKUS's impact on New Zealand: Nuclear policy 'unchanged', Five Eyes 'will endure' in face of new defence pact - Newshub