Article – The ConversationNew Zealand is lifting its defence spending while deepening its military ties with Australia. Neither was developed from an assessment of New Zealand’s defence needs. While much of today’s defence investment is about building capability, it also guides how New Zealand’s forces will operate alongside Australia’s. Equipment bought to plug into Australian and US systems counts towards the spending target exactly as sovereign capability does. ANZUS, the overarching text that frames New Zealand’s decisions when a crisis arrives, was drafted in 1951.