Hegseth Accuses New Zealand of Freeloading because We Don’t Want to Arm for War

Pete Hegseth's 'freeloading' snipe: Should NZ be worried?

Analysis- "Freeloading" was the term Pete Hegseth applied to a country that had just put another couple of billion dollars from Budget 2026 towards the goal of doubling spending on defence.

'No more freeloading': Pete Hegseth slams NZ's defence spending

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has criticised New Zealand’s level of defence spending, saying the US will no longer tolerate “freeloading” off its...

Hegseth’s derogatory statement about NZ proves why we desperately need to lift military spending

Ex-Defence Minister Wayne Mapp pushes back on US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s ‘freeloading’ claim Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue...

Hegseth accuses New Zealand of freeloading because we don’t want to arm for war

Pete Hegseth has claimed that New Zealand is freeloading because it is not spending enough of weapons of war at a time of international chaos created by the United States.