Eleven countries will be involved in the Talisman Sabre joint military exercises, held over two weeks.
New Zealand has sent two army platoons, 20 light armour vehicles and nine other vehicles, and three helicopters, as well as a Navy contingent.
Australia and the US began two weeks of war games involving more than 30,000 troops on Friday, in a show of force and unity at a time when China has emerged as an increasingly assertive power in the Indo-Pacific.
