The Defence Sustainability Initiative: Building a long-term future for the New Zealand Defence Force - 2 May 2005
Introduction
In the ten years following the end of the Cold War in 1989, declining funding, ageing equipment, and reductions in personnel numbers saw gaps steadily emerge in the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) capabilities. These problems were identified in the 1999 report of the Parliamentary Select Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade, Inquiry into Defence Beyond 2000.
Following this government’s commitment in 2000 to rebuild and reshape the NZDF, significant progress has been made in replacing and upgrading major equipment, improving service personnel pay and allowances and increasing global commitments.
Further additional resources are required to restore other aspects of the NZDF’s capability, such as personnel numbers, infrastructure, reserve stocks and corporate management structures.
Gaps in these areas have been exacerbated by a high level of operational activity, recruitment and retention challenges, and the pressures of introducing large quantities of new and upgraded equipment.
In December 2003, the government initiated a review to identify both current and optimum configuration and resource requirements for the defence organisation to undertake the roles and tasks set out in the government’s statements of defence policy and in the Defence Long-Term Development Plan.
The resulting Defence Capability and Resourcing Review was presented to Ministers in February 2005. It confirmed that operational and organisational capabilities in a number of areas of the NZDF and Ministry of Defence are below what is required by government policy.
This policy statement outlines a major remedial programme and a firm commitment of increased resources over the next ten years to achieve long-term sustainability for Defence. This is another major step towards the government’s goal of achieving a modern sustainable defence force matched to New Zealand’s needs.
