Webinar: What is a Frigate? And why does New Zealand need one?
New Zealand's two Anzac-class frigates, HMNZS Te Kaha and HMNZS Te Mana, will reach the end of their working lives in the mid-2030s. Cabinet must decide by 2027 whether and how to replace them.
This will be one of the largest procurement decisions in this country's history, yet the public conversation about it has barely started.
In his new research note, Major General (Retd) John Howard answers the questions that need to come before any discussion of what to buy and how much it will cost.
- What is a frigate?
- What is sea power, and why does it matter to New Zealand? The country sends 99 percent of its trade by sea and controls the fourth-largest exclusive economic zone in the world.
- What would New Zealand lose if it no longer had ships able to control our waters?
Join us for the launch of the report. John will make the case for replacing our aging frigates, and Major (Ret) Tim Ewing-Jarvie will put that case to the test.
Date: Tuesday, 14 July 2026
Time: 2:00pm
Registration: Please register for the webinar via this link
Q&A: Submit your question in advance on Slido.com here using code #2473671
About the speakers:
Major General (Ret) John G. Howard, MNZM, Senior Fellow, The New Zealand Initiative
John Howard is a Senior Fellow of The New Zealand Initiative and Managing Director of The Source Consultancy. He served more than four decades in the New Zealand Defence Force, including as the first-ever Chief of Defence Intelligence. While posted to the US Defense Intelligence Agency, he was the only non-American to serve as an executive officer across all 18 United States intelligence agencies.
Major (Ret) Tim Ewing-Jarvie - Managing Director, Horizon Lab
Tim Ewing-Jarvie is the founder of Horizon Lab, an advanced data analytics company specialising in geopolitical risk management for global enterprises. He brings a rare combination of commercial and national security experience, serving some of Australasia's largest enterprises and drawing on previous executive advisory roles within the Pentagon and the wider national security community.
Tim is a regular keynote speaker on geopolitics, economic security and strategic resilience across New Zealand and Australia.
Dr Oliver Hartwich - Executive Director, The New Zealand Initiative
Oliver is the Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords. Oliver holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Business Administration and a PhD in Law from Bochum University in Germany.