NZ could be a target under Aukus that compromises Rocket Lab and China trade

PremiumOpinionOpinion byProfessor Gehan Gunasekara NZ Herald·31 Aug, 2026 02:00 AM4 mins to readGehan Gunasekara is a professor of commercial law at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has expressed interest in the Aukus security pact.Former United States President Dwight Eisenhower famously once warned of the dangers of the pernicious influence of what he called the “military industrial complex”.

In a recent op-ed for the New Zealand Herald, David Santoro, president and chief executive of the Pacific Forum based in Hawaii, invites New Zealand

NZ could be a target under Aukus that compromises Rocket Lab and China trade

Related reading

Editorial: NZ’s place in the defence debate

Reimagining NZ's partnership with the US won't compromise a nuclear-free…

Frigates, nukes, and spending: The defence debate NZ can’t avoid

NZ 'should not be fazed' by any objection from China to Pacific defence alliance

NZ should have ‘a conversation’ about its nuclear stance, minister says

New Zealand can no longer take its security for granted, says defence minister…