Does the Minister have any concerns about Israels participation in RIMPAC 2026 and if so what and if not why not?

Answer

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has been involved in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise for many years and participated again this year. RIMPAC is the world’s largest maritime warfare exercise. It is a US-hosted maritime, air and land exercise involving ships, aircraft, and land forces of many countries. NZDF primary purpose in participating in RIMPAC is to build the NZDF’s inter-operability with Indo-Pacific partners. Such familiarity can be valuable, for example, when we work alongside each other on humanitarian aid and disaster relief responses in our region. The United States determines the participants in RIMPAC, not New Zealand. NZDF personnel are not training IDF forces.