New Zealand Will Not Raise Defence Expenditure Above 2 Percent of GDP: Minister

New Zealand Defence Minister Chris Penk (C) appears before the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. Screenshot from the parliamentary livestream serviceDefence Minister Chris Penk has confirmed the New Zealand government has no plans to increase defence spending beyond 2 percent of GDP, despite the Trump administration’s expectation that allies lift military expenditure to at least 3.5 percent of GDP.Last year, Prime Minister Chris Luxon committed to raising expenditure to “as close to 2 percent as we possibly can,” up from a baseline of 1.2 percent.