Review suggests NZDF improvements

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

TRAGIC: Crews survey the site of an Iroquois helicopter that crashed on Anzac Day 2010, killing four.

The New Zealand Defence Force is pledging to accept 20 recommendations of an independent review into its safety record that criticised its leadership.

The review, released today, found that 'a lot of bad things happen to people in this country', and identified 12 key issues influencing the defence force's performance.

They included poor data and measurement, inadequate leadership, confusing regulation and a risk-tolerant culture.

Vice Chief of Defence Force, Major General Tim Keating, said it was vital that all 20 recommendations made by the independent review team were actioned organisation-wide.

'The NZ Defence Force is a large and complex military organisation engaged in many high risk activities, therefore it is imperative that health and safety is a priority for us all,' he said.

'This review has shown that while we do many things extremely well, there is certainly room for improvement and I expect our entire organisation to embrace the findings and strive for excellence when it comes to health and safety.'

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman said the review acknowledged the step defence was currently taking to improve their safety record, though further work was required.

'I expect health and safety to be a top priority for the NZDF. It is crucial our people operate in an environment where the proper safety procedures are followed,' he said.

'I asked the NZDF to commission an external review to address questions raised around the culture of health and safety. Avoidable deaths are not acceptable.'

The report found that the number of deaths the NZDF recorded in non-combat roles over the past decade is comparable to Australia's defence force, but higher than the UK's.

In the past 10 years, 15 defence force personnel have died in non-combat roles, and more have died in combat.

Recent deaths in non-combat roles included army Private Michael Ross who died on September 25 last year. He drowned during a training exercise on Lake Moawhango.

Air force Flight Lieutenant Hayden Madsen, 33, Flying Officer Dan Gregory, 28, and crewman Corporal Ben Carson, 25, were also killed when their Iroquois crashed during an Anzac day flyover in 2010.

While deaths in the defence force were highly publicised and learned from, it was the 'near misses' that often flew under the radar, the report found.