Engineers commended for their work

Mark Burton, Minister of Defence, today commended three NZ Army engineers for their work in Afghanistan during September and early October this year.

“The infrastructure in Afghanistan is in poor condition, particularly their bridges and roads. The UN is making a significant humanitarian contribution in terms of repairing and rebuilding throughout the country.

“The three New Zealand Army engineers who were deployed to Afghanistan on September 11 spent a month assessing damaged road bridges that were identified by the UN as critical to the supply of humanitarian aid during the forthcoming northern winter.

“They completed site surveys of damaged bypass routes and bridges on a road north of Kabul, and three damaged bridges and several damaged roads in the vicinity of Herat in Afghanistan’s western region.

“Their contribution was highly regarded by the coalition members and the UN Joint Logistics Centre. In particular, these agencies were impressed by our Government’s ability, and willingness, to provide these specialist Army engineers at such short notice.

“Their professionalism is a credit to themselves, the Army, the New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand,” said Mark Burton.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s Smokefree Laws Debacle

The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out - for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable view is that the government was being deliberately misleading. Are we to think Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is a fool, or a liar? It seems rather early on in his term of office to be facing that unpleasant choice. Yet when Luxon (and senior MP Chris Bishop) tried to defend the indefensible with the same wildly inaccurate claim, there are not a lot of positive explanations left on the table.... More