Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says the Government is committed to strengthening the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), and will be investing $100.9 million of operating funding in 2014/2015.
“This significant investment in our Defence Force, combined with the savings and reinvestment achieved through recent reforms, means the Government is addressing the long term funding gap which we inherited,” Dr Coleman says.
“We greatly value the ongoing work and commitment of NZDF personnel. The NZDF’s work is vital to wider New Zealand interests, and the tempo of activity is high. Recent examples include the Air Force delivering aid to the Solomon Islands, and supporting the international effort to search for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370.
“The frigate Te Mana deployed to the Gulf of Aden to conduct anti-piracy operations, and the Navy continues to support a range of Government agencies within our Exclusive Economic Zone. Army personnel serve internationally in a range of missions, and closer to home, they recently supported storm relief efforts on the West Coast.”
Budget 2014 confirms the NZDF’s funding approach agreed by Cabinet in November 2013 after the Defence Mid-Point Rebalancing Review.
“The Government’s investment of $100.9 million in 2014/2015 is the first stage of an allocation of $535.5 million operating funding for the NZDF over the next four years,” Dr Coleman says.
“It is vital that the NZDF can continue to meet the Government’s requirements, whether it is carrying out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief work at home or in the Pacific, or contributing to wider global security efforts.
“There has been considerable investment in defence under this Government. In the last year, we purchased new naval helicopters, army trucks and a pilot training package,” Dr Coleman says