New Zealand consists of two narrow and mountainous islands (North and South) separated by a passage waterway called the Cook Strait. The country has a population of around 5 million people which has grown 1.8% per year over the past 10 years. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a representative democracy. His Majesty King Charles III is the Head of State, and the Prime Minister is the Head of Government. New Zealand operates a free market open economy with large manufacturing, services and agricultural sectors. Like Australia, New Zealand has experienced soaring house prices since 2021.
New Zealand has a small but capable military with around 6,500 Army, 3,000 Navy and 3,000 Air Force full time and reserve personnel, plus an additional 3,000 defence civilians. New Zealand and Australia share a long and close-knit military history dating back to the mid-1900s. Combined Australian and New Zealand forces have operated together in both World Wars, Vietnam, and many other deployments. In 1952, Australia, New Zealand and the US signed the ANZUS Treaty which binds the three countries to provide a unified response against any aggressor in the South Pacific. In 2023 the New Zealand and Australian Chiefs of Army signed Plan Anzac, a Bilateral Service Cooperation Plan. It serves to generate greater interoperability to be used on future operational deployments together.