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Despite ongoing staffing struggles, the Defence Force has continued to discharge personnel for failing to get the Covid vaccine.

The case of Bonnie, a medic at Burnham Army Camp who was dismissed for not getting vaccinated, has caught media attention.

This comes after the Court of Appeal ruled that the Defence Force's 'mandatory retention reviews' were unlawful.

Lawyer Matthew Hague says these 'rigid' mandates are costing people their careers and jobs.

"To impose a blanket requirement across the entire Defence Force of 10,000 people and rigidly subject people to mandatory retention reviews is completely unjustified." 

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A law professor says New Zealand's deployment of troops to the Red Sea is a good first step.

The Government last week announced six Defence Force personnel would be deployed to support military action against Houthi militants.

Waikato University law professor Alexander Gillespie, says our actions are justified, but we need to be wary of possible escalation.

"One of the risks right now is that it appears that people think they're going up for one reason, when in fact it's something else. So we have to maintain as much as we can in clear, independent foreign policy- and take each step very carefully."

Earlier today, 36 targets in Yemen were hit in a joint US-UK airstrike, a day after the US hit more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria.

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Is it just me or has the Government gone all gung-ho on it since the holidays? 

Because it seems to me that our approach to defence has been turned on its head almost overnight. 

Last week, we had the announcement that New Zealand is sending six military personnel to help with airstrikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen and the Red Sea. 

And today, we’ve got Defence Minister Judith Collins over in Australia, meeting with her counterpart over there - and one of the things they’re going to be talking about is New Zealand joining the non-nuclear part of the AUKUS military alliance. 

This is the alliance involving Australia, the UK and the US. The big nuclear submarine buy-up is part of that, which will mean Australia’s military will have nuclear capability - just like the US and the UK. 

And a big motivator for AUKUS is China’s involvement in the Pacific region. Splashing the cash around and buying a presence in, and influence over, Pacific countries. Which has put the wind up the United States, and so it’s rallying the troops - so to speak - with the AUKUS arrangement.  

Judith Collins was dancing on a diplomatic pin on the radio this morning, when Mike asked whether this is all about China. She said something along the lines of China being a friend and how she hopes it remains a friend of New Zealand - but then she made it sound like a friend who could go off any minute. 

So not a BFF. Not your bestie. A friend who you’re not always a hundred percent sure of. And so that’s why she wants to have a chat on the side with our other mates, Australia.  

But, because we’re not into nuclear weapons, there’s this secondary part of AUKUS where you can sign-up, turn a bit of a blind eye to the nuclear stuff and feel like you’re doing your bit. Stepping up. 

Which has been the line trotted out by the Government multiple times over the past week in relation to the Red Sea deployment. And Judith Collins was at it again this morning when she spoke to Mike from Australia, saying it was critical for supply chain purposes and keeping costs down. 

But not once before the election, did I hear any politician from whatever party you want to name saying that one of the things they were going to do to deal with the cost-of-living crisis was send our defence personnel overseas to sort out supply chain issues. 

Winston Peters and David Seymour did say they were keen on AUKUS pre-election. Christopher Luxon wasn’t quite so gung-ho - but he didn’t rule it out, either.  

Which is why we’ve now got Crusher Collins over in Australia today talking about signing us up to AUKUS Pillar 2 - the non-nuclear bit. Foreign Minister Winston Peters is over there too today. 

Now from what I’ve seen, the non-nuclear part of AUKUS involves things like sharing advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence; quantum computing; cyber, undersea capabilities; hypersonic weapons; information-sharing and electronic warfare. 

If you go to the Defence Force website, here’s what it says itself about what it does: “Our equipment and expertise supports people and communities in need at home, across our region and around the world”. 

Doesn’t sound like there’s too much hypersonic weapons or electronic warfare involved in that, does it? 

I’m not saying that the New Zealand Defence Force can’t change. I’m not saying that, in an ever-changing world, we shouldn’t have our eyes closed to any emerging threats. And, of course, technology is going to be a huge part of that. 

What I am saying, is we should have our eyes open and not get sucked-in to this “doing our bit” malarkey. Because we can just as effectively “do our bit” by sticking to the knitting that our defence force has been doing in recent times. 

Peacekeeping. Disaster relief. That’s what the New Zealand military is all about. In fact, that’s all the New Zealand defence force is capable of. And I’m fine with that. Perfectly fine. 

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Tonight on The Huddle, David Farrar from Kiwiblog and Curia and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! 

The opposition parties have fired back at the Government, saying it's a bad idea to send NZDF personnel to provide maritime security in the Red Sea. Do we think this is the right move?

The big discussion point to come out of Rātana- is the Treaty Principles Bill dead in the water? Are National and NZ First wrong to support ACT's bill if they plan to strike it down?

There's outrage over today's Oscar nominees, as Barbie director Greta Gerwig and main actor Margot Robbie didn't receive any nominations. Critics say this illustrates the issues around the patriarchy that the movie wanted to illustrate- is this fair?

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What the hell are we doing? 

When I say “we”, I mean the country. The Government. What the hell are we doing getting involved in airstrikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen and the Red Sea? 

The Houthi militia that seized parts of Yemen and some of its Red Sea coastline in a revolution back in 2014.  

The Houthi militia that is supported by the Iranian government and has been attacking ships in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on Gaza. 

What the hell are we doing getting involved in that? 

New Zealand is sending six defence personnel to help out behind the scenes with airstrikes led by the US and Britain on Houthi bases connected to the attacks on ships in the Red Sea.  

Which the Houthi militia are doing in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on Gaza. And they reckon that they’re only targeting ships associated with Israel, but vessels from other countries have been damaged as well.   

And when I saw Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters, and Judith Collins on the news last night, I got what they were saying about upholding maritime security in the Red Sea”. I thought ‘yeah, I get that’. 

Because 15% of global trade travels past Yemen.  

According to the Prime Minister, 10% of New Zealand’s exports and about 20% of the stuff we import travels through the Red Sea between here, the UK, Europe, and North Africa. 

So, 90% percent of our exports don’t. And 80% of our imports don’t.    

I’m not saying nothing needs to happen in the Red Sea. Because it’s clear to me —not from the lines trotted out by the Government yesterday, but by statements from outfits such as the World Bank— that something has to be done about the attacks. 

The World Bank is saying that what’s happening there could mean higher interest rates, lower growth, and persistent inflation. And, as we know, what happens to the global economy happens to our economy. 

And so, the US has been on the blower to Wellington and said, “are you in” or “are you in”. And we’ve said - “we’re in!” 

But if we are going to learn anything from history, then I think we are dreaming if we think this is going to be a “just pop-in for a few months to help our mates out” kind of thing. 

Because since the first joint airstrike on Houthi targets a fortnight ago, the US has carried out at least six of its own more limited strikes at smaller targets, and there’s been no let-up in the attacks on ships in the Red Sea. 

I was reading this morning that the Houthi believe they are doing God’s will coming to the Palestinians’ defence, which tells you doesn’t it that this is going to be long and drawn out. 

What’s more, the US and UK are now being pressured by the official government in Yemen —which is backed by the United Nations— to provide its forces with equipment, training, and intelligence to mount a ground offensive against Houthi strongholds. 

And just a few days ago when reporters asked US President Joe Biden if the airstrikes against the Houthi militia were working, he said they weren’t. But they were going to continue. 

And that is why I’m asking, “what the hell are we doing?” 

Because does the Government really know what it’s getting itself into? I don’t think it does. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers is calling for the army to be deployed to flood-hit rural communities.

This comes amid increased reports of post-Cyclone Gabrielle crime spikes in the East Coast, despite police saying they have the situation under control.

Federated Farmers CEO Terry Copeland says that people in these isolated communities have been hit hard by the weather and intruders may be the last straw.

"Whether it's disaster tourists who like to see what's going on and rubberneck or whether it's people trying to loot, that's pretty immaterial. It's actually just giving people confidence to be safe and secure at a really difficult time."  

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There’s that old line about people not caring what you know, until they know that you care.

And if you’ve heard or seen Police Commissioner Andrew Coster over the past 24 hours, you will have picked up that he knows a lot - the caring bit, though, isn’t so obvious.

Because, despite what people on the ground in cyclone-ravaged areas of the North Island are saying about criminal activity going nuts since the big storm, Commissioner Coster is sticking to the lines about reported crime being less than normal.

If anything’s increased, he says, it’s family harm offences.

He does acknowledge, though, that with all the communication challenges —with phones and electricity out— perhaps the reported stuff isn’t a reflection of everything that’s going on. But he’s got his stats and he’s sticking to them.

What’s more, you may have heard the Prime Minister saying on Newstalk ZB that some of the things people have been talking about —like the apparent cases of guns being pointed at people running checkpoints— have been third or fourth hand. And, according to the Prime Minister anyway, no one’s actually reported it to the Police.

Either way, that doesn’t diminish my view that the Police Commissioner is completely missing the point here. We’ve got opposition politicians —and others— saying bring in the Army to help the Police deal with the lawlessness.

And we’ve got the Commissioner responding with a whole lot of numbers which, on the face of it, are accurate. But it is a classic example of why it is so important to show that you care, before banging on about what you know.

We’ve got people saying they feel unsafe and we’ve got the Police Commissioner saying they shouldn’t feel unsafe because the stats don’t back that up. Really comforting.

And I think if you were in Canterbury during the earthquakes, you’ll be able to relate to all this.

Like me, you’ll remember the gun carriers and trucks rolling into town from Burnham every morning. And you’ll remember the soldiers being on duty at all the entry points into the CBD.

I’ll never forget going to Pak n Save one night on Moorhouse Avenue, and coming out of the car park onto Manchester Street and seeing the soldiers on duty and seeing that giant area of darkness over their shoulders that was the CBD.

And I remember whenever I saw them rolling in and out of town, it just made things feel more secure for some reason. That these men and women were here for us.

Don’t ask me to tell you what I thought they were here for or what they were here to do. Sure, they had the roadblocks to take care of but just seeing them coming in and out of town from Burnham made things feel just that little bit more secure.

Which is why I think the Police Commissioner is completely missing the point. He’s telling people in the cyclone areas what he knows (all the stats about crime being down etc), but he’s not showing them that he cares.

He’s not acknowledging that when people’s lives are turned upside down, of course they’re going to be suspicious of things like people taking photos. But in the past 24 hours he’s been saying where that’s been happening, it’s just been people taking photos of all the devastation. “Disaster tourism” as he puts it.

Do you think anyone in Hawkes Bay finds that one bit reassuring? Of course not. Because when you’ve been through a disaster, you’re on heightened alert.

Back in 2011 after the big earthquake, a rumour started doing the rounds that an old volcano in Christchurch was about to go off. Completely wrong. But there were smart people who gave it credence simply because they were traumatised and on alert for every possible threat to their safety.

That will be what’s happening in Hawkes bay and Gisborne. Yes, there will be some crims doing what they know best. Yes, it’ll be business as usual for the gangs. And yes Commissioner, I know the stats don’t necessarily match with people’s fears and concerns.

But this is not business as usual and, if having the Army on patrol in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay makes the people there feel just that little bit more secure (and it would), then the Commissioner needs to stop telling us what he knows and needs to start showing us that he cares.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s that old line about people not caring what you know, until they know that you care.

And if you’ve heard or seen Police Commissioner Andrew Coster over the past 24 hours, you will have picked up that he knows a lot - the caring bit, though, isn’t so obvious.

Because, despite what people on the ground in cyclone-ravaged areas of the North Island are saying about criminal activity going nuts since the big storm, Commissioner Coster is sticking to the lines about reported crime being less than normal.

If anything’s increased, he says, it’s family harm offences.

He does acknowledge, though, that with all the communication challenges —with phones and electricity out— perhaps the reported stuff isn’t a reflection of everything that’s going on. But he’s got his stats and he’s sticking to them.

What’s more, you may have heard the Prime Minister saying on Newstalk ZB that some of the things people have been talking about —like the apparent cases of guns being pointed at people running checkpoints— have been third or fourth hand. And, according to the Prime Minister anyway, no one’s actually reported it to the Police.

Either way, that doesn’t diminish my view that the Police Commissioner is completely missing the point here. We’ve got opposition politicians —and others— saying bring in the Army to help the Police deal with the lawlessness.

And we’ve got the Commissioner responding with a whole lot of numbers which, on the face of it, are accurate. But it is a classic example of why it is so important to show that you care, before banging on about what you know.

We’ve got people saying they feel unsafe and we’ve got the Police Commissioner saying they shouldn’t feel unsafe because the stats don’t back that up. Really comforting.

And I think if you were in Canterbury during the earthquakes, you’ll be able to relate to all this.

Like me, you’ll remember the gun carriers and trucks rolling into town from Burnham every morning. And you’ll remember the soldiers being on duty at all the entry points into the CBD.

I’ll never forget going to Pak n Save one night on Moorhouse Avenue, and coming out of the car park onto Manchester Street and seeing the soldiers on duty and seeing that giant area of darkness over their shoulders that was the CBD.

And I remember whenever I saw them rolling in and out of town, it just made things feel more secure for some reason. That these men and women were here for us.

Don’t ask me to tell you what I thought they were here for or what they were here to do. Sure, they had the roadblocks to take care of but just seeing them coming in and out of town from Burnham made things feel just that little bit more secure.

Which is why I think the Police Commissioner is completely missing the point. He’s telling people in the cyclone areas what he knows (all the stats about crime being down etc), but he’s not showing them that he cares.

He’s not acknowledging that when people’s lives are turned upside down, of course they’re going to be suspicious of things like people taking photos. But in the past 24 hours he’s been saying where that’s been happening, it’s just been people taking photos of all the devastation. “Disaster tourism” as he puts it.

Do you think anyone in Hawkes Bay finds that one bit reassuring? Of course not. Because when you’ve been through a disaster, you’re on heightened alert.

Back in 2011 after the big earthquake, a rumour started doing the rounds that an old volcano in Christchurch was about to go off. Completely wrong. But there were smart people who gave it credence simply because they were traumatised and on alert for every possible threat to their safety.

That will be what’s happening in Hawkes bay and Gisborne. Yes, there will be some crims doing what they know best. Yes, it’ll be business as usual for the gangs. And yes Commissioner, I know the stats don’t necessarily match with people’s fears and concerns.

But this is not business as usual and, if having the Army on patrol in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay makes the people there feel just that little bit more secure (and it would), then the Commissioner needs to stop telling us what he knows and needs to start showing us that he cares.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Huddle, former Labour Press Secretary Kaine Thompson and Kiwiblog writer and Curia Pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following topics: 

Why hasn't the Government sent the Defence Force in to deal with the crime wave in Hawke's Bay? Napier's mayor wants it, but the police are yet to ask. How does this make Labour look?

Roald Dahl's books are undergoing a re-write to remove 'insensitive' language and themes. The use of the words 'fat' and 'ugly' are being removed and the  Oompa Loompas are now gender neutral to promote inclusivity. Is this necessary?

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Kia ora e te whānau. This week Eugene and Matt have the pleasure of speaking with Dr Inia Raumati (Taranaki) . Inia works in emergency medicine at Auckland City Hospital and is the only person from Aotearoa/New Zealand to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam, completing multi-day “raids” across the Sahara, Gobi, Atacama, and the Antarctic. Inia came to medicine after graduating as a physiotherapist, and has spent time working in anesthetics, on rescue helicopters, and deployed as part of the New Zealand Defence Force to Iraq. We kōrero with Inia about his life, his medical whakapapa, and his love of running for the deeper connection that it fostered between him and his father. Enjoy. 

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Further Faster New Zealand

This is the first episode in a series that discusses New Zealand's defence needs and a brief insight into current shortfalls. While acknowledging that the people within the current New Zealand Defence Force are as good or better than those who have gone before, Simon Ewing-Jarvie bluntly points out that, in a war of commitment such as the defence of the country, the NZDF would cease to be a functional fighting force in a matter of hours without allied assistance. This episode discusses long range requirements.

The model that this series is premised on is the author's own. Establishing the national security requirements as an armed neutral state then subtracting current capabilities derives the GROSS National Security Deficit. By then factoring in the capabilities that can be relied upon from allies leaves the NET National Security Deficit. It is acknowledged that this will vary between risk scenarios.

To succeed, New Zealand's defensive posture must be based on an interlocking set of principles:

1. Self Reliance - Being able to produce or have sufficient stocks of essentials in time of conflict
2. Deterrence - Making the cost of an attack on New Zealand not worth any potential gains
3. Detection - Generating situational awareness in all domains
4. Interdiction - Both strategic and tactical
5. CADDO - The author's own model of Continuous, Asymmetric, Disconnected Defensive Operations (What some would call resistance to an occupying force).

Importantly, these discussions are about defending all 6 million New Zealanders (7 million by 2050) which includes the 1 million currently living overseas - rather than the continental defence of the country.

Simon Ewing-Jarvie discusses why it is taking so long to establish a national security agency and strategy, given that the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019 recommended exactly this approach in late 2020.

He draws on his work in continuity management and executive behaviour in risky environments to highlight some possible reasons why public sector chief executives might be reluctant to embrace the sort of change that is being called for. Simon also highlights the politicisation of Defence and calls for Defence White papers to be replaced with National Security White papers.