Andrew Wierzbicki will discuss different issues New Zealand faces when tackling defence policy. Given the different defence challenges ranging from New Zealand’s public, political, and commercial constituencies, defence being a lesser priority as against other government expenditure, how to get the best result in defence spending, marrying different defence expectations and reality? Various misconceptions regarding defence in New Zealand will also be discussed

About Andrew Wierzbicki

Andrew Wierzbicki had a 40 year career in the public service working on policy advice covering trade and economic issues including while on a posting to Washington DC, and defence and security issues as a senior manager in the Ministry of Defence. He is experienced in governance, financial oversight and strategic planning. He is a current member of the New Zealand Instituteof International Affairs and an Honorary Vice President. He is a previous Chair of the New Zealand International Review Committee. As a longstanding member of the NZIIA Wellington Branch, Andrew served for a number of years on its Committee including as Treasurer. Andrew is a graduate in Law and Politics of Victoria University of Wellington.