Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

over 10 per cent on average and is committed to ensuring wages and conditions are of a
sufficient level to allow the NZDF to retain personnel regardless of the strength of the labour
market.
The current Government has undertaken a project to „civilianise‟ up to 1,500 uniformed
positions in an effort to cut costs. This has caused considerable anxiety for many NZDF
personnel not only because they may be moved into a civilian role on inferior terms of
employment but also because, if civilianised, they have been required re-apply for their jobs
with no certainty of being re-employed. Labour believes the civilianisation project must be
reviewed to ensure it does not undermine the ability to deploy our forces effectively
overseas. In the event that civilianisation continues, the processes must change to give
assurance and dignity to affected personnel.
Labour will ensure the NZDF has sufficient uniformed and civilian personnel to carry
out all the tasks expected of it including overseas deployment.
Labour will maintain recruitment at a level that is sustainable and provides the
personnel required for the NZDF to carry out its functions now and in the future.
Labour will ensure that all personnel, uniformed and civilian, have fair remuneration,
terms and conditions of employment.
Labour will place a moratorium on civilianisation while we review the project and
consider whether its continuation is warranted.
In the event that civilianisation continues, Labour will amend the Defence Act to
permit discharged uniformed personnel to be directly transferred into the Civil Staff of
the Defence Force.
Equipment
Any defence force is reliant on being provided with the equipment it needs to carry out the
tasks required of it effectively. Maximising the safety of personnel and giving them the tools
to defend themselves is of utmost importance.
When last in Government, Labour inherited a defence force that had been run down. The
NZDF‟s equipment was obsolete to the point they literally couldn‟t keep up with our allies.
That necessitated rapid procurement across all services.
Labour‟s approach was to focus on achieving excellence in priority areas rather than
spreading defence resources thinly across the board.
Labour invested to meet key re-equipment needs to ensure that the New Zealand Defence
Force had modern and, in many cases, state of the art equipment.
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