The Chief of Defence Force’s roles and functions, under the Defence Act 1990, are:
- command of the Navy through the Chief of Navy, the Army through the Chief of Army, and the Air Force through the Chief of Air Force, and command of joint forces through joint force commanders
- the responsibility to act as the principal military adviser to the Minister of Defence and to other Ministers
- the responsibility to the Minister of Defence for:
- carrying out the functions and duties of the NZDF (including those imposed by any enactment or by the policies of the government);
- the general conduct of the NZDF
- the NZDF’s efficient, effective, and economical management.
A number of specialist advisers and staffs provide services and advice directly to the CDF:
- the Vice Chief of Defence Force (VCDF)
- the three Service Chiefs (the Chiefs of Navy, Army and Air Force - CN, CA and CAF)
- the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand (COMJFNZ)
- the General Manager Organisational Support (GMOS)
- the Corporate Financial Officer (CFO), and
- the Assistant Chief Personnel (AC Pers).
Other specialist advisers and staffs report to the Vice Chief of Defence Force:
- Assistant Chief Development (AC Dev)
- Assistant Chief Strategic Commitments and Intelligence (AC SCI)
- Head of Planning (HoP)
- Head International Defence Relations (H/IDR), and
- Inspector General (IG).
Positions reporting to the General Manager of Organisational Support are:
- Director-General Defence Legal Services (DG DLS)
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Commander Joint Logistic Support Organisation (COMJLSO)
- Cross-Functional Projects Director
- Director Defence Communications Group (DDCG)
- Director Coordination
- Director Services
- Director Defence Health
- Head Strategic Communications.
Those reporting to VCDF or GMOS may provide advice directly to CDF on statutory and other matters.
The Director of Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand also reports to the CDF. VANZ is a semi-autonomous body within the NZDF, responsible for:
- providing policy advice to the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs on, and administration of, issues relating to veterans’ entitlements, care and recognition
- coordinating commemorative activities
- managing the government’s relationship with veterans and their representative organisations
- providing ex-Service memorials and maintaining Services Cemeteries throughout New Zealand.
The Chief of Defence Force chairs the NZDF’s Executive Leadership Team. The Executive Leadership Team (ELT) is the governance body for the strategic-level leadership of the NZDF. The eight full members of the ELT are CDF, VCDF, CN, CA, CAF, COMJFNZ, CFO and GMOS. HoP participates in all ELT meetings, but does not vote.
The Defence Act 1990 sets out the statutory responsibilities of both the CDF and the Secretary of Defence (Sec Def), the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The NZDF and the MoD have sole, prime and shared responsibilities. An Office of Chief Executives Committee (OCE) considers shared NZDF and MoD governance issues. OCE is also the forum for CDF and Sec Def to discuss defence issues of mutual interest, including policy and other non-capability matters. Associate members of the OCE are VCDF and the MoD’s Deputy Secretary Policy and Planning (Dep Sec P&P). Other senior commanders and leaders of the NZDF and the MoD may attend, by invitation.