Up to $4 billion will be spent upgrading New Zealand’s sole naval base in Auckland’s Devonport while about $2.5b is going towards fixing ageing defence infrastructure that is “prone to failure”. 

Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk today confirmed investment priorities for the $2.5b of funding devoted to the Defence Estate Portfolio Plan 2025-2040. 

The funding, drawn from the $12b Defence Capability Plan announced in April, would be prioritised for “compliance, resolving health, safety and security concerns, and maintaining asset usefulness as far as practicable, especially of assets critical to military outputs”. 

Initiatives included upgrading infrastructure at Ōhakea near Palmerston North, modernising facilities at Waiōuru and the Future Naval Base Programme at Devonport. 

The upgrade of the Auckland navy base, projected to conclude by 2060, was estimated to cost up to $4b. Funding would also come from the Defence Capability Plan up until 2030. 

The Defence Force’s plan, released this morning, outlined the grim reality of the estate’s quality and maintenance needs, declaring “the condition of service critical assets ... is well below requirements”. 

“Parts of the Estate are vulnerable to shocks such as seismic events, flooding from sea level rise, opportunistic or premeditated sabotage, or the impacts of urban development. 

“It requires consistent and committed long-term funding to maintain or regenerate it just to a satisfactory standard.” 

It also admitted to the Defence Force’s “culture of acceptance” or use of short-term fixes, which didn’t address underlying issues. 

Several examples were included, such as how a 90-bed barrack block at the Papakura Military Camp was closed because roof leaks caused black mould. 

It detailed how the Sea Safety Training School at the Devonport base was out of commission up to six weeks a year due to flooding, leading to a potential 20% loss of crew. 

Devonport also suffered from “frequent water main bursts”, limiting firefighting capacity and restricting water supply to ships. 

“Much of [the infrastructure] is aged, fragile and prone to failure, with more than 70% of New Zealand Defence Force infrastructure now having less than 20 years of useful life remaining,” Penk said. 

“Failure to act will result in facility closures, degraded training that undermines operational capability, and increased risks to personnel. Regenerating the estate is essential to maintain a high level of operational readiness.” 

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.