A New Zealand defence expert says there is a good chance this country will offer some type of military assistance in the fight against Islamic State.
The Chief of New Zealand's Defence Force was included in meetings of the anti-IS coalition in Washington yesterday.
Prime Minister John Key said the meeting was a regular one, and does not signal any shift in New Zealand's position.
However, Robert Ayson, from Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Studies, said there are a number of possibilities for the Defence Force to become involved in.
But Mr Ayson said he does not think New Zealand will become involved in any direct combat.
“I think there is a good chance that there will be a military contribution but that doesn't mean that New Zealand will be involved in a direct combat side in terms of actually taking on IS, because that's not really where we will end up positioning ourselves.”
Labour's foreign affairs spokesperson David Shearer said there is no place for a New Zealand military contribution in the fight against IS militants.