The safest country on Earth?

Why don’t we feel that safe?

One of the reasons many kiwis fear for the country’s security is that they are used to seeing our place in the World as it is portrayed in conventional maps that highlight the northern hemisphere. In these maps the equator is usually positioned 2/3rds of the way down the map and the map does not include Antarctica.

This gives the impression that large and powerful nations ‘tower over us’.

The World’s largest moat

For decades defence reviews and white papers have all concluded that any conventional attack on New Zealand or its protectorates is extremely unlikely.

However, in the very remote chance that this was ever to occur, it would have to come by sea. Even an airborne attack would ultimately need to be supported by sea.

This simple geographic reality makes New Zealand the safest nation on earth - we are surrounded by the World’s largest moat.

The hemisphere based on Wellington shows that out to the edge of our ‘equator’ the only sizeable land masses are Antarctica and Australia.

Most kiwis would be surprised to learn that the distance from Beijing to Wellington (nearly 11,000 km) is 1/3rd greater than the distance Beijing to London (just over 8,000 km).

Most of the countries that have been suggested as possible threats to our territorial security, including China, are on the opposite hemisphere to New Zealand.

Our defence strategy should be anchored around the practical implications of New Zealand’s very favourable security environment.