Larry Williams Drive

Just a couple of weeks ago, I went out to Devonport for a picnic with some friends and remember pointing out the Manawanui to our kids as we crossed the harbour on the ferry.  "Look guys, that's our Navy!" Obviously, it's a great relief that everyone is okay and was able to disembark in time, and I accept it'll be some time before we learn everything about what happened. But it's hard to look past what is - from the outside - a profoundly embarrassing accident for New Zealand's Defence Force, and our country at large.  Shit happens, but the time and place really couldn't be much worse. Just 24 hours before the ship hit the reef, Defence Ministers from across the Pacific were meeting in Auckland to establish a new Pacific Response Group, a multilateral force that will respond to future disasters.  With AUKUS and tensions over China's ambitions in the region, the Australian Defence Minister was plain when I asked him about New Zealand's military assets.  "A more capable New Zealand is very m