New Zealand unveiled its Budget 2017 on Thursday, which showed that its defense force will receive a total of 982 million-NZ dollars (691 million U.S. dollars) new funding as part of the budget.

The New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) will receive a 406 million-NZ dollar (285 million U.S. dollars) boost in operating funding over four years, and 576 million NZ dollars (405 million U.S. dollars) in capital as part of Budget 2017, said Defense Minister Mark Mitchell in a release.

"It is vital that the NZDF has what it needs to meet the country's security and defence interests. This major increase in funding for the armed services will support a range of NZDF capabilities as identified through the Defense White Paper of 2016," Mitchell said.

He said that one of the biggest priorities is ensuring the NZDF has the right people with the right training ready when needed, and this funding will support a range of personnel initiatives.

"It will also go towards a variety of new initiatives and projects in train already, including a cyber security support capability for the protection of NZDF communication networks, a new pilot training capability service, and more funding for our helicopter fleets," Mitchell said.

The NZDF has to be modern and able to operate in a wide range of tasks and environments, he added.

New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English said that Budget 2017 shares the benefits of growth by improving public services, investing in the infrastructure needed for a growing country, reducing debt and lifting incomes.

English added that the budget shows solid economic growth expected to average 3.1 percent over the next five years, peaking at around 3.8 percent in 2019.

The budget includes 203 million NZ dollars (143 million U.S. dollars) for science and innovation, 3.9 billion NZ dollars in health (2.74 billion U.S. dollars), among others.