Natural Bedfellows: The New Zealand-Singapore Relationship at 60
- Orson Tan
- Sep 14
- 5 min read
Singapore and New Zealand celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations this year, an important milestone given the two countries face a turbulent world order defined by uncertainty and challenges, making it more pressing for small states like them to find partners to ride the waves with.
On August 12th, the Singapore High Commission in Wellington hosted a reception to commemorate the 60thanniversary of bilateral relations between New Zealand and Singapore. This was just the latest in a series of events that the two countries had planned for the year to mark this special occasion; the New Zealand High Commission in Singapore hosted its own reception a month earlier while the fourth Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting was held in Auckland in March with the then Singapore Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and New Zealand Minister for Defence Judtih Collins KC co-chairing the meeting. Earlier in February, the two countries hosted the Inaugural Singapore-New Zealand Judicial Roundtable led by the respective Chief Justices of the two nations.
The multitude of activities put in place to commemorate this 60th anniversary speaks to the deep relationship shared between the two nations, and this occasion provides the perfect opportunity to reflect upon the relationship and its potential for the future.
In January this year, the New Zealand High Commissioner Gabrielle Rush had penned a forum letter in Singaporean newspaper, the Straits Times. In her piece, High Commissioner Rush paid tribute to the strong ties between the two countries, calling the New Zealand-Singapore relationship “one of our most valued relationships”, and stating that Singapore is “one of our closest, most trusted and like-minded partners”.
While it is tempting to chalk this up to diplomatic talk, it must be said that this sentiment is very much shared by the Singaporeans. Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was said to have remarked that above all else, “the New Zealanders can be trusted”. Lee had held a deep regard of New Zealand and its people; New Zealand had been the second country after the United Kingdom to recognise Singapore’s independence in 1965, and Keith Holyoake’s action had been described as a “sense of warmth at that moment of isolation”.
The deep relationship between the two countries are not just words on pieces of paper but backed up by decades of sustained cooperation across defence, trade, and people-to-people ties. Singapore and New Zealand are close defence partners; the relationship traces back to even before Singapore became independent as the Royal New Zealand Air Force had a squadron based in Tengah Air Base during the Malayan Emergency while the Royal New Zealand Navy had ships based in Sembawang Naval Base. The basing of New Zealand troops in Singapore continued until 1989, and together with the Five Power Defence Arrangement, contributed significantly to the defence-building of the city-state during its formative years. To date, the two countries continue to cooperate closely on defence, they continue to partake in joint exercises under the FDPA while the Singapore Armed Forces regularly training in New Zealand, and there is significant bilateral engagement across all levels of the two states’ defence sectors. Prime Minister Luxon has acknowledged this close security cooperation by calling Singapore New Zealand’s closest security partner in Southeast Asia, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has similarly called the city-state “our most important defence partner” in that region.
Beyond defence, the two countries also share a deep economic relationship. Amongst the Southeast Asian nations, Singapore is the closest economic partner to New Zealand. The city-state was the second country to sign a free trade agreement with New Zealand after Australia, and with more than $10 billion dollars in annual trade, Singapore is the fourth largest trading partner for Aotearoa, and more importantly, 23% of the country’s sea freight goes through the port of Singapore. Considering that sea freight makes up 99% of New Zealand’s trade volume and 80% of its trade value, Singapore is a vital trading partner for the country and has remained so despite times of crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic.
As New Zealand and Singapore mark 60 years of relations, the question naturally arises: what comes next? The celebration in Wellington also saw the announcement that in October, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will visit New Zealand to not only mark 60 years of relations but also sign the upgrade of the Singapore-New Zealand relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is a significant development given that the two countries had only agreed to an Enhanced Partnership back in 2019. The establishment of a CSP signifies and codifies the deep trust that is shared between the two nations, and in the current geopolitical environment that is increasingly defined by unpredictability, having a trusted partner matters more than ever.
The elevation of the relationship to CSP will undoubtedly see Singapore and New Zealand deepen its collaboration in the six pillars of trade and economics, security and defence, science technology and innovation, people-to-people links, climate change and the green economy, and supply chains and connectivity.
The two countries could pursue advancements in connectivity of their digital economies, making it easier for harmonization of digital trade rules, while they could also explore the issue of basing of SAF troops in New Zealand after a previous 2019 agreement had been cancelled due to costs. Singapore is also the financial hub of Southeast Asia and has a thriving investment fund scene, which could lend itself to help achieve the greater foreign investment that the current New Zealand government has been seeking to achieve. There is also a greater need to increase cooperation in the spheres of cyber-security and climate resilience, especially as the respective countries look deeper into technology to deal with rising sea levels.
At the end of the day, both New Zealand and Singapore share the outlook of small states navigating an uncertain global order. They understand the vulnerabilities that come with size, but also the opportunities that can be seized through agility, adaptability, and partnerships. Working together, they can amplify their voices in multilateral forums, defend the rules-based international order, and push back against the forces of fragmentation and unilateralism.
The New Zealand–Singapore relationship at 60 is a story of trust, pragmatism, and shared vision. It is a relationship rooted in history, strengthened through defence and trade, enriched by people-to-people ties, and poised to tackle the challenges of the future. As both nations navigate the turbulence of the 21st century, they can take comfort in knowing that they are not alone. They are, in every sense of the word, natural bedfellows—partners who, through trust and shared values, continue to find in each other a reliable companion for the uncertain journey ahead.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of IIPA and this platform.
Author
Orson Tan is senior research fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs, and has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.