Defence spending is like insurance – how will NZ pay the higher premiums?
- Written by Stephen Hickson, Lecturer in Economics and Director, Business Taught Masters Programme, University of Canterbury

Defence spending is like insurance – you have to pay for it but you hope you never have to use it. And the higher the risk you face, the higher your premium will be.
New Zealand has now committed to paying those higher defence insurance premiums. The government’s 2025 Defence Capability Plan, released in April, includes NZ$9...