Prospects are not bright for New Zealand's mickey-mouse defence establishment. The military need more money for New Zealand to 'pull its weight' in collective security arrangements with our allies. The defence vote for 1971-2 was $110 million or about 1.8% of the gross national product - in 1968-7 the percentage was 2.1%

This year the Otago University Extension Department's annual Foreign Policy School (held during the May holidays) discussed national security (i.e. defence). The School is not a conference but is meant to be an educational exercise. Unfortunately for the military, no one came up with any bright ideas for conning taxpayers into providing more money for defence.