SYDNEY (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the door was open for New Zealand to engage with the AUKUS project as appropriate.

       The multi-stage AUKUS project announced in March is planned to culminate in the late 2030s and early 2040s with British and Australian production and operation of a new submarine class - SSN-AUKUS - and include "cutting edge" U.S. technologies.

       "The door's very much open for New Zealand and other partners to engage as they see appropriate going forward," Blinken told a news conference in Wellington.

       "We've long worked together on the most important national security issues. And so as we further develop AUKUS, as I said, the door is open to engagement."

       (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Alasdair Pal)