Appointments of Defence Expert Review Panel
One now has to wonder the state of “Military Historical Records” which are paramount for reviews of deployments, and no wonder NZDF/VANZ does not want to look back beyond 1 April 1974. Also, the loss of NZ Military records 65/66 FESR is concerning what else is missing. Also note Medallic Service web pages from previous NZDF website have disappeared, explanations do not hold much water at all.
PRESS RELEASE BY MINISTER OF DEFENCE – Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today the establishment of an Expert Review Group to review a number of aspects of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) structure, information management and record-keeping processes.
The Expert Review Group’s work arises out of the first recommendation from the Report of the Government’s Inquiry into Operation Burnham.
Former Controller and Auditor-General Lyn Provost will chair the group. Lyn Provost’s background as a previous Controller and Auditor-General, Deputy Chief Executive of the New Zealand Police, and Acting Chief Executive of Archives New Zealand makes her the ideal person to lead this review.
Lyn Provost will be joined by:
- Simon Murdoch, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade and former Chief Executive of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet;
- Tony Lynch, Deputy Chief Executive of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and former Deputy Secretary of Defence;
- Richard Foy, Chief Archivist, Archives New Zealand;
- Carol Douglass, Deputy Secretary Governance, People and Executive Services, Ministry of Defence;
- Brigadier Hugh McAslan, NZDF.
“All have valuable skills and experience to bring to this work.” said Mr Mark.
The group will be supported by two international advisers: Dennis Richardson, former Secretary of Defence and former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, and Air Marshal (retired) Philip Osborn, Royal Air Force, a previous Chief of Defence Intelligence in the United Kingdom. The group may also seek input from the academic community.
“As Minister of Defence, I am taking steps to ensure that the NZDF’s organisational structure, record-keeping and retrieval processes are in accord with international best practice. The aim of this is to remove or reduce the possibility that the organisational and administrative failings identified in the Inquiry’s report recur,” said Mr Mark.
“As I indicated at the time of the release of the report, it is critically important that the public have confidence in the Defence Force and that the relevant structures and institutions are fit for purpose.
“Work is also underway to progress the recommendation to establish a new process for dealing with reports of civilian casualties. Defence officials are engaging with stakeholders from civil society, the academic community and other government agencies to obtain their perspectives to inform new Defence Force procedures,” said Mr Mark.
Further interagency processes are underway to address the other two recommendations of the Operation Burnham report, to develop effective detention policies and procedures, and to establish an independent Inspector-General of Defence.
A copy of the Terms of Reference of the Expert Review Group can be found by clicking HERE.
The announcement by the Minister of Defence to establish an Expert Review Group to review, among other things, NZDF record-keeping processes, although long overdue, is welcomed. In real terms, it confirms the sloppy way NZDF has treated some of its historical information, in particular, those servicemen and servicewomen who served prior to 1 April 1974. The seemingly loss of NZ military FESR 1965/66 historical records is beyond ridiculous! To rehearse. It is common knowledge that ADF and NZDF service personnel carried out the identical duties and responsibilities during the FESR/ANZUK period. The difference being ADF service personnel were formally recognised by their country and received medallic recognition, veteran benefits and entitlements. NZDF service personnel were not! As some of the NZDF historical FESR/ANZUK records have mysteriously disappeared, given the ADF and NZDF service personnel worked collaboratively over the FESR/ANZUK period, why not formally request the ADF for a copy of their military service records! Or, are we too self-righteous to eat humble pie? This simple exercise as a matter of courtesy to all of those NZDF service personnel who for many years have been denied their rightful medallic recognition and veteran benefits and entitlements could at long last receive theirs. My personal view is that if this FESR/ANZUK medallic recognition debacle is not soon satisfactorily resolved then, the best way forward is to seriously think about publishing such matter to all NZ social media channels and beyond our shores under the guidance of a trusted journalist and a reputable lawyer.
As an aside, the recently released book “The ANZUK – What Was It” – should be an interesting read.
In the period of the 1960 to 1970 in particular, the world was dogged with conflicts and here I reflect on four nations who bore the brunt of most of that turmoil, namely the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand for a high proportion of it directly affected areas East of Suez/Levant Areas. It was the period which covered the Vietnam war which all but the UK were involved in, the Indonesia Confrontation, Aden, Suez War and others. Even before this period America had established an enviable veterans system, defining a veteran as having been in action in the US Services, their National Guard and Reserves and by and large they have always treated their veterans well. In the UK right up to quite recently [the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century] ‘veteran’ was a word without a properly recognised meaning and certainly little or no support once the person had become a civilian post military service except from benevolent services via a means test. Now however, with the introduction of an Armed Forces Covenant between members of the Armed forces, the people and the Government it is rightly and fittingly a leader in the field of support. Moreover, to be a veteran in the UK one needs only one day of being in uniform to qualify full stop. The Australians also have a proper and fitting system of tangibly rewarding its service personnel for return of service well defined and acknowledged as been fair and fit for purpose, recognising the premier importance of medallic rewards/awards leading on to other veterans privileges and perks. Only the New Zealand Government has, by comparison alone, failed in its duty to recognise the duties carried out by its service personnel, by stubbornly choosing to ignore all legitimate claims for recognition and medallic awards for service post cessation of the Indonesian Confrontation [11th August 1966], when its personnel were engaged on literally exactly the same duties as their Australian colleagues now in Singapore and parts of Malaysia. Their job was to maintain law and order, protect the indigenous population and where/when possible to arrest and imprison active guerilla’s. These areas were well known and declared so by the British Commander-in-Chief to be a dangerous, volatile environment, frequented by communist guerrilla’s loyal to the recently deposed protagonist and leader of the Confrontation, the erstwhile President Sukarno. At any one time the areas being protected by the Australian and New Zealand forces, mark you with batons instead of bullets, could have been attacked with many deaths occurring. The Australians were rewarded with a clasp called the FESR [Far East Strategic Reserve] which was attached to an existing Australian Service medal. The NZ Government had/has no such suitable medal ribbon on which to attached the FESR Clasp but worst still there was never an intention to award it to its troops, a gross and inexplicable travesty and default of national duty. National of course means the people of New Zealand, and I suggest that were they to know about this appalling gaffe, they would have an opinion and a want/need for the error to be corrected forthwith, in THEIR NAME!
Jeff Dykes ex Royal Navy {Warrant Officer Radio Communications Instructor}.