OPINION

The most significant international news impacting New Zealand in 2024 (so far) was delivered by a tweet.

At 9.40am on Thursday, Winston Peters tweeted “New Zealand stands with its partners in condemning the Houthis’
ongoing illegal, unacceptable and destabilising attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.”

In effect, New Zealand has joined with 11 other allies of the United States to deliver a final warning to the Houthi Yemeni rebel group to cease its attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea or “bear the consequences”.

What those consequences might be has since provoked considerable debate in global media where the 13 partners are now being described as a coalition. The group includes all Five-Eyes partners: US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands and Singapore.

At the time this column was filed, there was no backgrounder or further amplification of New Zealand’s stance to be found on the Coalition Government’s Beehive website.

In fact, there has been very little reportage of this move within New Zealand.

But Peters followed through yesterday with a call with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, announcing on X (formerly Twitter) that they had discussed the importance of the US-New Zealand strategic partnership, strengthening co-operation to address regional and global challenges, the situation in Ukraine, and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The details of New Zealand’s stance will come under the journalistic microscope when the Coalition returns to the Beehive for its first Cabinet for 2024 on Monday, January 15.

Peters should be enjoying the sun at his Northland retreat. But it is clear that both he and New Zealand’s foreign affairs officials – who have been fully engaged in Washington DC in the leadup to the statement – are playing a developing hand.

Peters’ tweet did not land well with some sparring on X who want New Zealand to do more to bring an end to “genocide in Gaza”.

Some in “tweet verse” contend it means that New Zealand will inevitably get drawn into any ensuing further military conflict that emerges in the Middle East. That neglects the state of our armed forces which were sadly depleted during the Covid crisis.

The plain fact is that the efficiency of the global economy depends on freedom of navigation. The spiralling attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant ships endeavouring to plough through the Red Sea and Suez Canal have already destabilised global trade.

For a small country like ours, dependent on international trade and battling a cost-of-living crisis, this matters.

So does our voice.

New Zealand’s interests are three-fold: Firstly, economic – the Red Sea is a vital sea lane and already the rerouting of ships around the Cape of Good Hope by Maersk and other major shipping lines is leading to a spike in costs that will be passed on to the ultimate consumers. This country simply can’t afford more supply chain disruptions, which are likely also to impact the cost of oil.

There is also a moral component – standing up for what is important to New Zealand and not being afraid to do so for fear of offending big powers. Finally, supporting the partnership with the US, where we can.

The detailed White House statement said there was no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels.

“Attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, using unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways.” The statement pointed out that nearly 15 per cent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8 per cent of global grain trade, 12 per cent of seaborne-traded oil and 8 per cent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade. International shipping companies continue to reroute their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods, and ultimately jeopardising the movement of critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance throughout the world.

It concluded: “Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways. We remain committed to the international rules-based order and are determined to hold malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.”

US media has since suggested a stepped-up military response is inevitable. Reportedly, a White House meeting with security officials convened by US President Joe Biden on New Year’s Day considered several options, including strikes on Houthi enclaves in Yemen.

New Zealand has since the 1990s contributed to maritime security in the Middle East. There are currently up to 12 New Zealand Defence Force personnel deployed to the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain.

But it would appear that any New Zealand participation, as with Australia, would be limited to the inclusion of a very few military personnel in the existing Red Sea taskforce, Operation Prosperity Guardian.

What is clear is that New Zealand and the US are drawing closer.

In Sydney last month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon signalled the Government was exploring Pillar Two of Aukus – a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia, the UK, and the US. This focuses on technology and was championed by Blinken in a visit to Wellington last year

This week was another step in that journey.