The New Zealand government unveiled its defence budget for FY2026/27 on 28 May. It promised investment of NZ$5.491 billion (US$3.23 billion) in the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for the coming year, compared to NZ$5.064 billion last year. This represents an 8.43% year-on-year increase, despite what the government calls “a challenging fiscal position”.