A Pacific focussed ready response military force being set up by New Zealand and Australia is to be finalised next month, with two New Zealand soldiers posted to Brisbane.
The idea of the response force was first mooted 18 month ago and the New Zealand's defence minister, Dr Wayne Mapp and his Australian counterpart, Stephen Smith, say joint training will be get underway later this year.
Dr Mapp says the response force was initially seen as predominantly a security oriented agency but the focus, given the spate of recent natural disasters, has pretty quickly moved to humanitarian assistance.
"Within our region, New Zealand and Australia together basically have to lead on every forseeable contingency, because the rest of the world expects us to do so and our Pacific Island partners also expect it. They want to be able to see us as reliable partners able to provide the support that they cannot."
New Zealand defence minister Dr Wayne Mapp.
The ministers' also say HMNZS Canterbury will be involved in joint humanitarian operations to help fill a gap in Australia's forces.
