Photo: Antactica NZ/ Anthony Powell
US threats to annex Greenland may also have ramifications for Antarctica, including New Zealand's interests there, polar region experts say.
Veteran New Zealand researcher Alan Hemmings says the idea the United States might eye up the southern continent for its natural resources or a strategic advantage would have been "fanciful" even five years ago.
However, that had become a plausible scenario, as President Donald Trump's administration placed national interests above longstanding multilateral agreements.
Another polar law expert said a US withdrawal from Antarctica could be just as concerning, because New Zealand's own programme there leans on American support.
Since 1958, New Zealand has allowed the US to operate out of the Christchurch Antarctic 'gateway', under an agreement where US military personnel are largely subject to their own rules.
The US McMurdo Station neighbours New Zealand's Scott Base on Ross Island, and the two countries collaborate on science and logistics.
Both countries are original signatories to the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which froze territorial claims - including New Zealand's - and instead dedicated the continent to international scientific cooperation.
The treaty also prohibits mining and extraction of resources, except for scientific purposes.
However, countries have expressed interest in the resources locked up in Antarctica, including hydrocarbon
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