The foreign minister says New Zealand doesn't have a strong voice on the international stage because successive governments have failed to pump the necessary money into defence.

Winston Peters - in a keynote speech on Wednesday - pointed to Singapore as a similar sized country that was "widely respected" and had a strong voice as a result of its "robust defence spending."

The day after the finance minister made cuts to the public service, Peters has made a case for why foreign affairs and defence need more money.

In a speech to the Asia New Zealand Foundation's Asia Symposium in Wellington, he said a "highly active diplomacy" is needed to compensate a "lack of resources" in those portfolios, "while we play budget catch-up".

It comes as Nicola Willis confirmed on Wednesday that Peters' ministry will not be required to make the same cuts as other agencies this year, following what she called "extensive debates" about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's funding. She acknowledged it was a win for Peters this year.

Peters also celebrated the country's progress in forging closer relations across Asia, while omitting any mention of the Free Trade Deal secured by the government with India.

In his speech, he discussed the "order-shattering nature" of contemporary geopolitics, and how countries, big and small, who lack the coercive power and agency of the world's great powers were seeking to adapt.

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"At best, there is recognition that in troubled times such as we face, middle power and small states need to see more of each other, talk more, and do more together to defend and promote their respective interests.

"In other words they describe the orthodox means and ends of diplomacy. "

He referenced the foreign policy reset by this government earlier in the term, which noted three shifts in the international order: "From rules to power, from economics to security, and from efficiency to resilience."

Peters said the government had decided to lead a highly active diplomacy, pointing to the 560 foreign policy engagements he'd had this term.

He warned it "cannot and must not be a one-off", saying future foreign ministers would need to replicate that level of activity.

He also stated that the effectiveness of diplomatic efforts was closely related to the level of resources committed to supporting them.

"While we are acutely aware that it is the taxpayer to whom we are responsible for every spending choice made, we also think, during this tumultuous time, the public has never been more supportive of our efforts to bolster the country's economic growth and boost its security.

"Foreign policy helps achieve both."

He said robust defence spending not only strengthens a country's foreign policy effectiveness, but "gives heft to that country's voice on the international stage".

He used Singapore as a "prime example" of a small state whose voice was "widely respected" and given strength due to its robust defence spending.

"Our voice is not strong," he added.

"We fight our budget corner hard, but until future New Zealand governments - whoever leads them - see defence and foreign policies not as a cost, but as a driver for making New Zealanders richer and more secure, a highly active diplomacy will be needed to compensate for the lack of resources.

"It's an absolute necessity while we play budget catch-up."

He also discussed the government's priority in putting a "huge emphasis on Asia", indicating there'd been over 80 Ministerial or Prime Ministerial visits to Asia this term.

What he didn't say was more noteworthy than what he did on this front, failing to mention the free trade deal with India when discussing the various significant agreements signed with Asia.

New Zealand First invoked the agree to disagree clause with National, and will not be supporting the FTA through parliament.

Peters later told reporters: "That deal has to be signed off by parliament, that's why I didn't put it in there."

He described the various relationships, saying with China "we have a mature relationship", with Japan "we are long-standing partners", with South Korea, New Zealand signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement.

"With India, New Zealand has sought to deliver closer and broader-based relations," he said, before moving on to ASEAN, in which New Zealand also signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He noted the focus and attention on key strategic partnerships in Asia would deliver "tangible benefits" to New Zealand and its partners.

"NZ's prosperity and security are intertwined with Asia's. We cannot afford to do anything less than engage with urgency, purpose, commitment and tenacity."

He also discussed the merit of creating "new branches of interlocking groupings of like-minded countries", or new more expansive regional groupings as a necessary response to present conditions and an "ineffectual" United Nations.

"But only by addressing the future of the UN will our collective response be sufficient to restore the rules-based order to better health," he said.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Peters said he had been pushing for more diplomats overseas.

He pointed to Croatia which he said had a smaller population, but 86 offshore bases compared to New Zealand's 56.

"I don't think it's any accident that we're not doing as well as we can in international trade because of the numbers we haven't got in the field," Peters said.

But he could not get Cabinet to agree to that, he said.

Peters said the country needed to be spending 3 percent of GDP on defence, adding that he could make that happen "within a year".

The government's current target is 2 percent by 2032/33.

The 3 percent target would not be a New Zealand First campaign policy, Peters said.

"What I'm going to do in this campaign, though, is set out how we're going to turn our economy up, we're going to turn our economy around and start getting some real growth."

Peters said Judith Collins did a "very good job" as Defence Minister, and "this guy, Penk [Defence Minister Chris Penk] looks like he could be the right guy" - but the New Zealand First caucus would have strong defence experience in its caucus.