On 29 October 2013 , in a joint statement at the Pentagon , New Zealand Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel confirmed the two countries would resume bilateral military cooperation . The announcement followed a successful meeting of Pacific Army Chiefs , co-chaired by New Zealand and the US . New Zealand was set to take part in an international anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden , and participate in an upcoming Exercise Rim of the Pacific ( RIMPAC ) . The Royal New Zealand Navy ( RNZN ) invited the US Navy to send a vessel to participate in the RNZN 's 75th Birthday Celebrations in Auckland over the weekend of 19-21 November 2016 . The guided-missile destroyer became the first US warship to visit New Zealand in 33 years . New Zealand Prime Minister John Key granted approval for the ship 's visit under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone , Disarmament , and Arms Control Act 1987 , which requires that the Prime Minister has to be satisfied that any visiting ship is not nuclear armed or powered . Following the 7.8 magnitude Kaikoura earthquake on 14 November 2016 the '' Sampson '' and other naval ships from Australia , Canada , Japan and Singapore were diverted to proceed directly to Kaikoura to provide humanitarian assistance
7.8 magnitude Kaikoura earthquake
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
New Zealand–United States relations