The Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy have reinforced their enduring maritime partnership through the signing of Plan Tasman.

Signed by Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Rear Admiral Darren Grogan, CSM RAN, and Deputy Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Commodore Karl Woodhead, MNZM, RNZN, Plan Tasman is designed to strengthen cooperation across personnel, training, capability development, warfighting, engineering, regulation and international engagement.

The agreement will enhance collaboration, information sharing, training, and operational alignment between the two navies, strengthening their ability to operate together in an increasingly complex Indo-Pacific security environment.

Rear Admiral Grogan said Plan Tasman reinforces the longstanding maritime relationship between Australia and New Zealand.

"Plan Tasman builds on generations of cooperation between our navies and provides a practical framework to strengthen the way we train, operate and develop capability together," Rear Admiral Grogan said.

"As close neighbours, trusted partners and allies, this agreement will help ensure our navies remain ready to operate side-by-side and respond to shared challenges in support of regional security, stability and prosperity."

Commodore Woodhead also commented on the strength of the relationship, while highlighting the need to build on the tradition of cooperation to meet the challenges of the current security environment.

“Our maritime relationship was established more than 160 years ago, strengthened over generations in times of both war and peacetime cooperation,” Commodore Woodhead said.

“As our region becomes increasingly contested against the backdrop of a deteriorating global security environment, our strategic guidance is to deepen and formalise the alliance. Plan Tasman is exactly that, signalling a shift from a history of cooperation based on tradition to integration by design.”

The signing supports both nations' commitment to closer defence relations and a shared vision of increasingly integrated naval cooperation, to support a secure, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

Media note

Media can access imagery/vision at http://images.defence.gov.au/S20262789.