Defence Minister statement on Defence Orders

An article in the Sunday Star Times by Nicky Hager made two main allegations against the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).

The article alleges that the NZDF had copies of journalist Jon Stephenson’s phone metadata in Afghanistan.

“The Defence Force has assured me that this is not something that they would regard as a legitimate practice. I would be most concerned if this had occurred,” says Dr Coleman.

“I have seen no evidence to support these claims at this point. However, the Defence Force is carrying out extensive record checks to see if there is any evidence that this occurred.”

The article also refers to a Defence Order which states that the threat of subversion stems not only from hostile intelligence services but also members of subversive organisations. The Order also refers to a threat from certain investigative journalists.

“I became aware of the details of this Order over the weekend. It is one of hundreds of Orders that exist in NZDF manuals.

“The Order was issued back in 2003 by the Chief of Defence Force at the time, Sir Bruce Ferguson, and then reissued in 2005.

“My view is that the reference to investigative journalists should be removed from this Order. It is inappropriate and heavy handed.

“I have asked the Defence Force to review these particular Orders to ensure they are fit for purpose. A review is timely given that these Orders are now a decade old.”

ends

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