Andrew Dickens: NZ missed its chance with the Cook Islands

So, the weekend has been spent watching the Chinese Navy use the Tasman Sea as a firing range.   They’ve never done this so far south before and you have to wonder why.   Defence commentators call it a power projection.   Sure, but don’t project power round here. Don’t divert Air New Zealand and Qantas planes.  Coincidentally and ironically, it comes at the same time that the Cook Islands have signed a deal which includes wharf construction.   How naive and stupid is Mark Brown. New wharves are lovely until the Chinese Navy start using them as a staging point to invade the Pacific.   But it begs the question. Why New Zealand hasn’t built a deep-water base on the island years ago.  We built the international airport which is the island's lifeline. The airport is also a military base if it needs to be.   So why didn’t we build a port and why isn’t a ship stationed over there semi permanently.  The Cook Islands are a semi-autonomous part of New Zealand and should have been our forward base from the get-go. If we were serious about defence. And have we?   So why didn’t it happen? Oh, the same reason everything else is falling apart. We don’t like spending money. It’s a false economy.   But now China has stolen a march from right under our feet. Or should I say our flippers.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.