Labour leader Chris Hipkins says Foreign Minister Winston Peters must have a frank and open conversation with his Chinese counterpart about China's warships in the Tasman Sea.
Peters will meet with Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday. China's warships in the Tasman and its recent deal with the Cook Islands are on the agenda.
Three ships have been sailing in international waters off Australia's east coast and conducting live-firing exercises, causing trans-Tasman flights to divert.
"So while China may have been within international law, the fact that no notice was given, my understanding is the Australians found out about this when Jetstar radioed in the fact that they had been told to divert their plane. That's not good enough really, that suggests that public safety was at risk here because of a lack of notice."
Hipkins said when he visited China two years ago he found that "a frank and open conversation was very possible" but it did not mean that the Chinese government would agree.
"But I think New Zealand's relationship with China must be characterised by frank openness on issues that we disagree on."
Hipkins said it was good that Peters was in China, but believed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should also visit.
"We're almost half our way through the parliamentary term and he hasn't visited China. They are our largest trading partner, and I think it's time that he did."
It was very important to ensure the government-to-government relationship was as strong as possible and that there were open channels of communication, he said.
"It's not an indication that we agree with everything that China's doing, it is a sign that we want to keep an open dialogue with China. And I think given where the world is at the moment, I think that's more important than ever."
Defence spending
The Defence Force is working with its Australian counterpart to monitor the ships.
New Zealand spends 1.2% of gross domestic product on defence spending according to the World Bank, where as the United Kingdom's defence spending is going to reach 2.5% of GDP by 2027 - three years earlier than had been planned.
Hipkins said New Zealand should not have a defence spending target just for the sake of it.
"I think we should look at what we need to spend the money on and then make decisions on how much to spend based on what we actually need.
"Surely the question is: What are we spending money on, and what are we getting for that money and how that's fitting with New Zealand's overall interests and best interests."
One big ticket item would be making decisions about frigates that need replacing in the next decade or so, he said.
New Zealand's Defence Force came under pressure from search and rescue and disaster response, and it was important that there was the capability to do those things well, he said.
"At the moment we know that that's a strain, so some of the naval fleet, for example, isn't always fit for purpose and we've got some big decisions there. I think those are the decisions we should be having."
Hipkins acknowledged that the Defence Force would never be able to defend New Zealand alone, saying that was why international relationships were important.
