Minister of Defence Peeni Henare departs for Australia tomorrow to meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles to discuss defence co-operation and security in the region.

The annual meeting will take place in Victoria ahead of both Ministers travelling to Tonga to attend the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting.

“I met with Minister Marles at the Shangri-La Dialogue earlier this year and we agreed we needed to sit down and have a more in-depth discussion, and this is a good opportunity to do just that.

“Australia is our only formal defence ally and our two countries have a proud history of working together. This will be a chance for the two of us to discuss matters relating to our region and how our two countries can further strengthen our bilateral defence relationship and cooperation.”

The Minister travels to Tonga on Monday and will return to New Zealand on 20 October.

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