Deputy Chief of Army
BRIG Barry Vryenhoek
22 August 2006
Respect and rivalry
Firstly, on behalf of the New Zealand Army, Chief of Army wishes to reiterate his deepest regret and sympathy to the family of Private Meredith Simms. He was a valued member of the Army and will be sadly missed by all of us. Our thoughts are also with PTE Khan Hogg, who remains in a stable condition in hospital.
In a week when the All Blacks have played the Wallabies for the third time this year, it is perhaps appropriate that I talk about our Army’s relationship with Australia. For many years our relationship with our closest neighbour has been one of rivalry mixed with respect. From fighting against Australians in the bars of Egypt to serving alongside them on battlefields from Gallipoli to East Timor, our respect for them has grown while our rivalry in many areas has also increased.
At the recent Army-to-Army talks with Australia, I spent two days with the Australian Deputy Chief of Army, Major General Ian Gordon. At the end of the talks, MAJ GEN Gordon closed the meeting with a series of comments about the standard of the New Zealand Army, which stunned the senior New Zealand officers present. MAJ GEN Gordon said that just as the Wallabies strive to match the All Blacks in rugby, so too does the Australian Army strive to match the New Zealand Army’s standard. He then went on to expand on his remark by stating that the Australian Army did not try to be better than the New Zealand Army, but simply tried to be as good as us and reach our high standard. This is high praise indeed from an officer who worked closely with New Zealand soldiers while he served as the Deputy Force Commander in East Timor.
Our Army’s vision is to be a world-class Army that has mana. While we continually aim for this goal it is always difficult to establish whether we are actually achieving it. MAJ GEN Gordon’s comments indicate that in the minds of some external observers we are well on the way to achieving our aim.
MAJ GEN Gordon’s comments followed a meeting where the Australian delegation showed a keen interest in a number of areas where they perceived that they could learn from us. The Australians were particularly interested in the development of our Army brand and our recruiting practices. They were also intrigued by our development of a 22-week recruit all arms basic training course. I am in the process of inviting them to send delegations to view these aspects of our work. MAJ GEN Gordon concluded by expressing his envy at our ability as a small army to add a personal touch in all that we do.
We have a history in New Zealand of playing down our achievements and we tend to understate our performance and quality rather than blow our own trumpets. But as a small army today we have a fine tradition behind us and we should be proud not only of where we’ve been, but where we are now, and where we are going in future. The fact that the Australians hold us in high regard should ensure that we hold our heads high in the knowledge that we are achieving a world-class standard. The real challenge facing the Army is maintaining this world-class performance in such dynamic and testing times.