New Zealand is a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
United States and New Zealand share comparable histories; both nations grew from British colonies and both have indigenous populations of East Polynesian descent (Māori and Native Hawaiians). Both nations are known for their proximity to the Pacific Ocean, and the New Zealand-United States relationship is a key factor of Asia-Pacific geopolitics. Both states have also been part of a Western alliance of states in various wars. Together with three other Anglophone countries, they comprise the Five Eyes espionage and intelligence alliance.
History
Polynesian and pre-statehood relations Cross-cultural similarities between the Māori (tangata māori) of precolonial New Zealand and native Hawaiians (kanaka māoli) date back thousands of years. According to oral history, the Māori homeland is Hawaiki, a semi-mythical island from which the name of the state of Hawaii is derived.Hiroa, Te Rangi (1964). Vikings of the Sunrise. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs. p. 69. .Polynesian Lexicon Project Online The Māori language and the Hawaiian language are closely related Polynesian languages, to the extent that the Hawaiians' endonym Kānaka Maoli itself is cognate to Tangata Māori of the formere.g. , meaning native Hawaiian. (In the Hawaiian language, the Polynesian letter "T" regularly becomes a "K," and the Polynesian letter "R" regularly becomes an "L") both deriving from Proto-Polynesian , which has the reconstructed meaning "true, real, genuine".Eastern Polynesian languages
The United States established consular representation in New Zealand in 1838 to represent and protect American shipping and whaling interests, appointing James Reddy Clendon as consul, resident at Okiato in the Bay of Islands. In 1840, New Zealand became part of the British Empire with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Although it gradually grew more independent, for its first hundred years, New Zealand followed the United Kingdom's lead on foreign policy. In declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage proclaimed, "Where she goes, we go; where she stands, we stand".
While Hawaii was still an independent kingdom, many Hawaiian sailors in the 1850s settled at Papakōwhai not far from Wellington, where they were referred to with the exonym Wahu (after the island Oʻahu). On the other hand, Māori New Zealanders quickly established a community at Manoa; they at one point gained the audience with Kamehameha and Kalākaua nobility in 1920.
Conflicts fought alongside the United States
New Zealand has fought in a number of conflicts on the same side as the United States, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War; it also sent a unit of army engineers to help rebuild Iraqi infrastructure during the Iraq War.
World War II
During the Pacific theatre of WWII (1941–1945), significant numbers of US military personnel were deployed to New Zealand to prepare for crucial battles such as Guadalcanal and Tarawa; there were between 15,000 and 45,000 US servicemen stationed in New Zealand at any one time between June 1942 and mid-1944. The habits and spending power of these troops had various influences on New Zealand's culture.
Though relations were largely positive, some points of tension developed. For example, the 1st Marine Division, was tasked with loading reconfiguration from administrative to combat configuration during a strike by Wellington dock workers. The Battle of Manners Street also occurred in Wellington involving American servicemen and New Zealand servicemen and civilians outside the Allied Services Club in Manners Street after American servicemen in the Services Club began forcibly stopping Māori soldiers from also using the Club because of their skin colour. Many New Zealand soldiers in the area, both white (Pākehā) and Māori, combined in opposition. The battle resulted in a possible two American deaths and 1 New Zealand Serviceman being arrested, as well as a cover up.
After the war New Zealand joined with Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty in 1951.
Korean War 1950–1953
New Zealand was among those who responded to the United Nations call for help in Korea. New Zealand joined 15 other nations, including the United Kingdom and the United States, in the anti-communist war. The Korean War was also significant, as it marked New Zealand's first move towards association with the United States' stand against communism.
New Zealand contributed six frigates, several smaller craft, and a 1044 strong volunteer force (known as K-FORCE) to the Korean War. The ships were under the command of a British flag officer and formed part of the US Navy screening force during the Battle of Inchon, performing shore raids and inland bombardment. The last New Zealand soldiers did not leave until 1957 and a single liaison officer remained until 1971. A total of 3,794 New Zealand soldiers served in K-FORCE and 1300 in the Navy deployment. 33 were killed in action, 79 wounded and one soldier was taken prisoner. That prisoner was held in North Korea for eighteen months and repatriated after the armistices.
ANZUS Treaty
The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is the military alliance which binds Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States to cooperate on defence matters in the Pacific Ocean area, though today the treaty is understood to relate to defence operations. Initially the 1951 ANZUS Treaty was a fully mutual collective security alliance between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, but this is no longer the case as the United States suspended its treaty obligations to New Zealand following the refusal to allow an American destroyer, the , into a New Zealand port in February 1985. A 1984 policy of a New Zealand nuclear-free zone meant that any ship thought to be carrying nuclear weapons was banned from New Zealand's ports, which meant all American naval vessels were essentially denied access due to the American policy to 'neither confirm nor deny' the presence of nuclear weapons.
In suspending obligations to New Zealand under the ANZUS treaty, the US cut major military and diplomatic ties between Wellington and Washington, downgrading New Zealand from 'ally', to 'friend'. This included removing New Zealand from military exercises and war games in the area, and limiting the intelligence sharing to New Zealand. New Zealand has not removed itself from ANZUS, arguing that allowing nuclear weapons into New Zealand was not part of the ANZUS treaty, and that New Zealand's position is not a pacifist or Anti-American decision,Lange, David (13 October 1985). "New Zealand". 60 Minutes (Interview) Interview with Judy Woodruff. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP88-01070R000301910004-2.pdf Washington DC: CBS and would increase its conventional military cooperation with the US. The Americans felt personally betrayed by the New Zealanders and would not accept the anti-nuclear stance, stating that New Zealand will be welcome back in ANZUS if and when New Zealand accepted all US ship visits. The New Zealand government passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987. This Act formalized the previous policy of New Zealand being a nuclear-free zone and banned all nuclear-powered ships or nuclear weapons from entering New Zealand waters or air space.
New Zealand's relationship with the United States further suffered when French agents sank the Rainbow Warrior while it was docked in Auckland Harbour in July 1985. The United States, as well as other western countries aside from Australia, failed to condemn the attack which was seen in New Zealand as state-sponsored terrorism by the French. This inaction furthered the breach between the two countries, with the US State Department finally stating that it "deplored such acts, wherever they may occur" in September 1985, a few days after the French admission of guilt.
In 1996, the United States under President Bill Clinton reinstated New Zealand's status from a 'friend' to an 'ally' by designating New Zealand as a Major non-NATO ally.
Although the ANZUS treaty has never been officially called on by the United States, New Zealand has fought alongside the United States in multiple conflicts since it was signed, notably the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, and War in Afghanistan.
Vietnam War
New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War was highly controversial, sparking widespread protest at home from anti-Vietnam War movements modelled on their American counterparts. This conflict was also the first in which New Zealand did not fight alongside the United Kingdom, instead following the loyalties of the ANZUS Pact (Australia also fought in the war).
New Zealand's initial response was carefully considered, and characterised by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake's cautiousness towards the entire Vietnam question. New Zealand non-military economic assistance continued from 1966 and averaged US$347,500 annually. This funding went to mobile health teams to support refugee camps, the training of village vocational experts, to medical and teaching equipment for Huế University, equipment for a technical high school and a contribution toward the construction of a science building at the University of Saigon. Private civilian funding was also donated for 80 Vietnamese students to take scholarships in New Zealand.
The government preferred minimal involvement, with other Southeast Asian deployments already straining the New Zealand armed forces. From 1961, New Zealand came under pressure from the United States to contribute military and economic assistance to South Vietnam, but refused.
American pressure continued for New Zealand to contribute military assistance, as the United States would be deploying combat units (as opposed to merely advisors) itself soon, as would Australia. Holyoake justified New Zealand's lack of assistance by pointing to its military contribution as an ally of Malaysia, which was confronted in arms by Indonesia, but eventually the government decided to contribute. It was seen as in the nation's best interests to do so—failure to contribute even a token force to the effort in Vietnam would have undermined New Zealand's position in ANZUS and could have had an adverse effect on the alliance itself. New Zealand had also established its post-Second World War security agenda around countering communism in South-East Asia and of sustaining a strategy of forward defence, and so needed to be seen to be acting upon these principles. On 27 May 1965 Holyoake announced the government's decision to send 161 Battery, Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery to South Vietnam in a combat role. The Engineers were replaced by the battery in July 1965. The battery served under the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade until the formation of the 1st Australian Task Force in 1966.