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Please scroll down this page for information and updates on military spending ‣ ‣ ‣
Last year global military expenditure was more than $(US)$2,887 billion - on average, more than $(US)7.9 billion every day - despite the escalating climate catastrophe and multiple escalating threats to humanity and life on earth. Last year, on average, more than 13,300 children under the age of five died every day from mainly preventable causes - lack of access to adequate food, clean water and basic medicines. This is one of the prices paid, the collateral damage that is seldom talked about, for maintaining armed forces in a state of combat readiness around the world.
Here in Aotearoa New Zealand - which has shocking numbers of children living in families with an income below the poverty line and deplorable levels of homelessness, where there is a desperate need for more social justice and climate justice funding - Budget 2026 allocated more than $5,882,661,000 military spending for the year ahead ... that's an average of more than $113 million every week. This is in addition to the billions announced in April 2025 (additional to each year's annual expenditure) as New Zealand seeks to be a combat capable "force multiplier" with "enhanced lethality and deterrent effect".
Military spending and related updates Every dollar tells a story ... NZ's humanitarian vs military assistance for Ukraine, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 12 April 2022
‣ Funding priorities, share
on Facebook, Re-Tweet
‣ Support priorities, share
on Facebook, Re-Tweet
Ban all military exports and stop profiting from war, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 15 March 2022 ‣ Share on Facebook ‣ Re-Tweet
Welfare or Warfare? Submission on Budget 2022, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 28 January 2022 ‣ Share on Facebook ‣ Re-Tweet ‣ Formatted for printing
Military spending cut a good start, but let's have complete rethink, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 25 June 2021
Climate Commission: Where’s the plan to cut military emissions? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 9 June 2021
NZ Budget 2021: Military Spending, May 2021
- Military spending increases in Budget 2021, 20 May 2021
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- Welfare or Warfare? Submission on Budget 2021, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 15 March 2021 ‣ Share on Facebook ‣ Re-Tweet ‣ Formatted for printing
Global Days of Action on Military Spending in Aotearoa New Zealand, 10 April to 17 May 2021
'Climate Action for Aotearoa' excludes military activity, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 28 March 2021
Welfare or Warfare? Submission on Budget 2021, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 15 March 2021 ‣ Share on Facebook ‣ Re-Tweet
On International Women's Day ... Peace Movement Aotearoa, 8 March 2021
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$250 million "to house" four new warplanes, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 16 December 2020
Election 2020: Let's get disarmament on the agenda, Peace Movement Aotearoa, September / October 2020
Launch event Election 2020: Let's get disarmament on the agenda, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 24 September 2020
Online discussion on military spending on Tuesday 19 May 2020 - please contact the Aotearoa New Zealand Campaign on Military Spending for details
Welfare or warfare? Military spending in Budget 2020, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 14 May 2020
Global military spending increases, New Zealand ranks in report, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 27 April 2020
- Links ‣ On
Facebook ‣ On Twitter ‣ Formatted for printing
‣ Scoop Independent News ‣ Fuseworks Media
- Resources from SIPRI ‣ 'Global military expenditure sees largest annual increase in a decade - says SIPRI - reaching $1917 billion in 2019', Media Release, 27 April 2020 ‣ Trends in world military expenditure 2019 Fact Sheet, April 2020
Turning Swords into Ventilators? Or is it Ventilators into Swords? Cynthia Enloe, 13 April 2020
"If ever there were a time for brokering peace, this is it", comment on George Monbiot's opinion piece, 10 April 2020
#SwordsIntoPloughshares? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 10 April 2020
If there's one thing blindingly obvious from the #covid19 pandemic ... Peace Movement Aotearoa, 1 April 2020
The Foodbank Project: short term and long term solutions, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 1 April 2020
COVID-19 illustrates "the folly of war" and military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 26 March 2020
"The most significant peace-time economic plan in modern NZ history", Peace Movement Aotearoa, 18 March 2020
On International Women's Day ..., 8 March 2020 ‣ Share on Facebook ‣ Share Tweet
Oral submission on Budget 2020, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 12 February 2020
A fairer future: fixing poverty in Aotearoa vs military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 3 February 2020
Family hardship and military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 28 January 2020
Submission on Budget 2020, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 23 January 2020
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Submissions due on Budget 2020: Cut military spending / support children's rights, Peace Movement Aotearoa - deadline is 24 January 2020
Militarisation vs climate justice, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 15 January 2020
'Inequality threatening human development': New UN report released, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 11 December 2019
Shocking government spending priorities: 2019 Child Poverty Monitor released, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 9 December 2019
Welfare or warfare? Child poverty inaction, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 21 November 2019
Welfare or warfare? 10% of New Zealanders experience food insecurity, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 16 October 2019
$100 million spent on repairing airforce planes since 2016, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 3 October 2019
Military spending vs zero carbon Pacific shipping, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 26 September 2019
Buildings for new warplanes vs houses for the homeless, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 9 August 2019
Safe drinking water or military spending? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 6 August 2019
NZ 'Defence Capability Plan': $20 billion more military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 11 June 2019 ‣ On Facebook ‣ Military spending image
NZ Wellbeing Budget: Shocking rise in military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 30 May 2019 ‣ On Facebook ‣ On Twitter ‣ Fuseworks Media ‣ on Scoop
Budget 2019 figures ‣ image ‣ poster
Global military spending rises again, will NZ's in this year's Budget? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 29 April 2019 ‣ On Facebook ‣ On Twitter ‣ On Scoop ‣ Fuseworks Media ‣ Formatted for printing
Resources from SIPRI :
‣ Trends in world military expenditure 2018, Fact Sheet, 29 April 2019
‣ World military expenditure grows to $1.8 trillion in 2018, Media Release, 29 April 2019
On International Women's Day ... Peace Movement Aotearoa, 8 March 2019
‣ on Facebook ‣ on Twitter
Economic Case for Disarmament: First Committee Delegates Issue Calls to Trim Soaring Military Budgets, Reinvest Funds in Vital 2030 Agenda Goals, UN, 9 October 2018
$2.346 billion for four warplanes to operate with Australia, Britain and the US, NZ government, 9 July 2018
Budget 2018: Military spending increases again, time for alternative thinking, Peace Movement Aotearoa,
17 May 2018 ‣ On Facebook ‣ On Twitter ‣ On Scoop
‣ A4 poster for printing
2018 Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), 15 April to 3 May
- 'Welfare or Warfare?' Pre-Budget lunchtime forum, Friday, 4 May - join us for a discussion on government spending priorities, with Paul Barber, Policy Advisor, New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services; Jacqui Southey, Children’s Rights Advocacy, Strategy and Research Director, Save the Children; and Edwina Hughes, Coordinator, Peace Movement Aotearoa, from 1pm to 2pm, at St Andrew's on the Terrace, Wellington. Your RSVP is essential because space is limited, please RSVP on Facebook or email Peace Movement Aotearoa. The A4 poster for the forum is available here.
- Global military spending increases again, will NZ's in this year's Budget? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 2 May 2018 ‣ On Facebook ‣ On Twitter ‣ On Scoop ‣ Formatted for printing
- Resources from SIPRI ‣ Trends in world military expenditure 2017, Fact Sheet, 2 May 2018 ‣ Global military spending remains high at $1.7 trillion, Media Release, 2 May 2018
- Global Campaign on Military Spending statement: 2018 Global Days of Action on Military Spending, Global Campaign on Military Spending, 2 May 2018
- If you would like to be involved in this year's Global Days of Action on Military Spending, please contact Peace Movement Aotearoa, thank you.
Military spending and related updates
- "Free" army dental care, really? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 12 March 2018
- On International Women's Day, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 8 March 2018
- Welfare or Warfare? Militarism, Peace and Planet public meetings - if you would you like to host a Militarism, Peace and Planet meeting or presentation, please contact Peace Movement Aotearoa, thank you.
- Election 2017: Our focus is welfare or warfare? ...
- Exhibition explores what country could spend with $3.69 billion military funding, Nelson Mail, 3 August 2017
- NZ Budget 2017 some facts and figures - On Facebook - A4 poster
2017 Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), 18 to 28 April
Military spending and related updates
- Caring for those in need is about priorities, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 19 April 2017
- Humanitarian crisis: urgent appeal is equivalent to less than one day of global military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 14 March 2017
- Health spending vs military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 9 February 2017
- Child poverty vs military spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 19 December 2016
- Emergency housing vs military spending, 8 November 2016
- Prioritising military spending while food a 'luxury expense' for poor, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 23 June 2016
- 2016 Defence White Paper, Peace Movement Aotearoa, June 2016: ~ $20 billion for armed forces ~ "$20bn on defence - but is it enough?" ~ NZDF time machine
~ Poster: Government public spending priorities - Image on Facebook - A4 poster for printing
- Budget 2016: Welfare or warfare? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 26 May 2016
- Image on Facebook - A4 poster for printing
2016 Global Days of Action on Military Spending 2016, 5 to 18 April
- Welfare or warfare? 'Dollars and sense', public forum in Wellington on Wednesday, 6 April 2016 - A4 poster - on Facebook
- Global military spending rises / Welfare or warfare? forum in Wellington, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 5 April 2016 - on Facebook - formatted for printing
- How you can get involved in the 2016 Global Days of Action on Military Spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, March 2016
- RNZ Interview: Families vs frigate combat upgrade, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 5 February 2016
- TPPA vs Military Spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 3 February 2016
- Military Expenditure, Public Spending and the Rights of the Child - Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on Draft General Comment on Article 4 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Public Spending, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 1 December 2015
- New Zealand National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 23 October 2015 - On Facebook - Formatted for printing
- Submission to the Human Rights Committee for the General Discussion on Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Right to Life, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 26 June 2015
- Public consultation: Defence White Paper 2015, Peace Movement Aotearoa, June 2015 - submissions are due on 22 June 2015
- The ongoing costs of militarism ... two airforce planes vs state housing, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 16 April 2015
2015 Global Day of Action on Military Spending, 13 April 2015 - was marked during the 2015 National Peace Workshops Remembering war / ending war: Challenging militarism and building peace, 18 and 19 April 2015
- Global military spending remains shockingly high, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 13 April 2015 - formatted for printing - on Facebook
- Statement on the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, 13 April 2015
- Global military expenditure in 2014 - SIPRI media release - SIPRI fact sheet - SIPRI site, 13 April 2015
- Disarm and develop - UN Expert urges win-win proposition for states and peoples, UNOG, 10 September 2014
- More military spending: new rifles for NZ armed forces, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 17 June 2014
- Frigates or Families / Welfare or warfare? Comments on Budget 2014, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 17 May 2014
- Budget 2014: Some comparative facts and figures, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 16 May 2014 - formatted for printing - on Facebook
- UN Expert urges states to be more transparent on military expenditure, UNOG, 16 May 2014
- Children's health or combat capability for frigates? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 2 May 2014
- Welfare or warfare? Peace Movement Aotearoa, 30 April 2014
2014 Global Day of Action on Military Spending, 14 April 2014
- Global Day of Action event details: 'Dollars and sense' forum in Wellington, and leafletting in Auckland - photo album
- Global military spending drops slightly, but not far enough, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 14 April 2014 - formatted for printing - on Facebook - on Scoop - on Yahoo news
- Global military expenditure in 2013 - SIPRI media release - SIPRI fact sheet
- Global Day of Action statement, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane, 14 April 2014
- Invest in social spending, cut military expenditure, UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order, 11 April 2014
- NZ Budget 2013: Some comparative facts and figures, Peace Movement Aotearoa, 17 May 2013 - document with figures - graph
2013 Global Day of Action on Military Spending: 15 April 2013
2012 Global Day of Action on Military Spending, 17 April 2012
2011 Global Day of Action on Military Spending, 12 April 2011
If you are interested in being involved in the Global Day of Action, or would like your organisation listed as a supporter of the Global Day of Action and of the urgent need to change spending priorities away from funding armed forces towards meeting human needs, please contact Peace Movement Aotearoa 'Global Day of Action support' in the subject line of your message.
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