New Zealand's Strategic (in)Security: Accelerating Digital Frontier, Defence Deficit, Eroding Home Front

New Zealand's strategic position is eroding across three interconnected fronts. On the digital frontier, AI and advanced technologies are dissolving geographical distance while New Zealand operates an industrial-age government in an intelligence age. The defence deficit reflects decades of underinvestment now colliding with urgent force modernisation, deepening alignment with Australia, the United States, and Japan as Washington's Pacific commitment faces scrutiny.

Domestically, stagnant productivity, brain drain, and limited material resilience constrain what strategy can achieve.

Dr Reuben Steff argues that New Zealand has fewer strategic choices than it perceives and diminishing time to make them. Rather than predicting failure, he outlines what a serious response would require and the cost of inaction — setting the stakes for whoever governs after November's election.

The event will include audience Q&A moderated by Emeritus Professor Roberto Rabel.