Building and strengthening defence relationships can have a high value return for New Zealand. Story by Pete Coleman.
In Mãoridom a wakahuia is the name of the ornately carved wooden box that treasures are kept in. The New Zealand Defence Force’s wakahuia isn’t so much a small box, as two large glass-fronted cabinets located on an ultra-secure floor at Defence House, Wellington.
They hold all manner of taonga: there is a jewel-encrusted elephant, presented by the Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army; a set of golden wings from the Philippines Air Force; a perfectly folded United States flag in a triangular box from the Vice-Chief of Staff of the US Army – an engraved message confirming that it had once flown over the Arlington National Cemetery; a silver sailing ship from the Commander in Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces; pewter goblets from the Chiefs of Staff Republic of Korea ... there are dancing figurines, china plates and bowls and sculptures in metal and glass from senior Defence officials of countless countries. Beyond any financial value these items might have, they are a tangible display of one of the Defence Force’s more intangible and least talked about functions – Defence diplomacy.
Defence diplomacy is shorthand for the huge variety of activities that the Defence Force carries out in direct support of New Zealand’s foreign policy goals. Indeed, the Terms of Reference signed annually between the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Force, which sets out the Chief of Defence’s duties and obligations in delivering the Government’s defence policy objectives, makes defence diplomacy, regional engagement and maintaining and strengthening the Defence Force’s network of relationships with overseas partners explicit goals. The Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae points to three different aspects of diplomacy that he is focused on. The first he describes as “static” – the places where we have Defence Attachés in place to help build and maintain relationships with our military counterparts.
“These are places where either substantial operational engagement might be required, or there is an opportunity for the Defence Force to enhance ‘NZ-Inc’ goals,” he says. “The reality is that often these are one and the same.”
The second comes from opportunities from the connections made through things like international seminars and conferences that defence people attend, or the international visitors we get, including those that attend our Command and Staff College.
Finally, there is the deliberate engagement undertaken by senior leaders in the New Zealand Defence Force.
Military-to-Military Engagement
“Engagement is a way of establishing a rapport with counterparts that enhances the ability to work with each other in the event that an operational commitment is required, or we have a request for information or equipment,” says Lt Gen Mateparae. “A shared concern that comes through engagement and relationship building activities can be the foundation of ongoing confidence between us and other nations.
“It also means for New Zealand as a small power that we can engage and inform people about our capabilities – what people can expect from us, and what would be beyond us. That’s important, that other nations have the right level of understanding, and vice versa.”
Lt Gen Mateparae gives the example of the recent earthquake to hit the Canterbury region. Very early on he received a phone call from his Australian counterpart sharing advice, and offering whatever support they could provide. Not all responses are to crisis however. Lt Gen Mateparae points to a discussion he had with his Timor-Leste counterpart, as a result the New Zealand Defence Force extended the duration of its posting cycle for staff stationed there, to give greater continuity. Lt Gen Mateparae says the Defence Force provides an important pillar in the engagement goals of New Zealand more generally. He notes in many other countries the military have a greater role in decision-making than is the case in our democracy. There is an expectation that if New Zealand wants to press a case, one of the New Zealand voices speaking will be from a defence and security perspective. “Security and defence relationships can have a very high value return for New Zealand for the investment in that engagement,” says Lt Gen Mateparae.
Our International Defence Relations Branch
Paul Sinclair, who heads defence’s International Defence Relations (IDR) Branch, agrees. IDR is the policy unit that serves both the Defence Force, and the Ministry of Defence, which makes Paul’s role pretty unique. He points to the connection he has with New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as evidence of Defence’s contribution to foreign policy: “There would be very few days in which there would not be at least one meeting between MFAT and Defence staff.”
Paul’s responsibilities include the management and development of many bilateral relationships, which have expanded steadily over the past decade. There are the obvious and longstanding ones, such as with Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with nations in the South Pacific. However, there are also significant and relatively longstanding relations with South East Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei. Paul says for some countries our defence involvement has provided the foundation for much more wide-ranging relationships – Singapore being an excellent example.
“We maintained a defence presence there over many years and gave substantial assistance to their armed forces during the formative years. This laid the foundation for what is now a very close bilateral relationship, a key element of which is the Closer Economic Partnership agreement that was cemented in 2001.”
The defence relationship with Singapore has also matured significantly in recent years and is now one of New Zealand’s most important. After many years of exercising and training together, Singapore chose to send troops to operate with New Zealand’s in the UN mission then operating in Timor-Leste. “They told us that New Zealand was their partner of choice because they were very familiar with the New Zealand Defence Force and had observed and liked our style of peacekeeping. ”Similarly, in 2007 Singapore decided to send medics and engineers to serve with us in Afghanistan, and they continue to rotate their personnel through New Zealand’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Most recently Malaysia announced that it was also sending a specialist team to join New Zealand’s PRT in Bamyan.
The Role of Peacekeeping
Paul says such peacekeeping operations are themselves an important feature of defence diplomacy. “In the early years New Zealand’s reputation as a responsible international citizen committed to a secure and stable world was forged in the battlefields of two World Wars. Today that reputation is underpinned by the scale and range of our commitments to peace support operations.”
Support to multilateral diplomacy is another of Paul’s responsibilities. Like with Afghanistan and Bosnia before it, New Zealand is actively engaged with NATO as we find ourselves contributing more frequently to NATO-led peacekeeping operations.
Also, we have participated in the Five Power Defence Arrangement with Australia, Britain, Singapore and Malaysia since its inception in 1971, and the ASEAN Regional Forum since it was established in 1994. We also participate in other forums such as the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, the Asia-Pacific Defence Chiefs meeting, and the Shangri-La Dialogue, which takes place in Singapore. The ASEAN Regional Forum aims to promote peace and security through dialogue and co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region. Eighteen countries participated in the first meeting in 1994. There are now 28 participants.
“I have seen the forum evolve from set piece exchanges on security issues, to more serious engagement and interaction, especially among Defence officials,” says Paul.
The Network of Defence Attaches
Another feature of the Defence Force’s diplomacy activities are its Defence Attachés (or DA’s), who are based in a variety of countries overseas. We have Attachés in Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Thailand. A number of these Attachés are also cross accredited to neighbouring countries. We also have Attachés based in Wellington and accredited to the Pacific and to Turkey. The Defence Force also has a Military Advisor posted to the UN Headquarters in New York.
The DAs work in New Zealand’s High Commissions and Embassies, and are an integral part of New Zealand’s overseas-based diplomatic staff. Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Rear Admiral Jack Steer, who has responsibility for our Attachés says the New Zealand Defence Force has in recent times re-focussed its requirements and management of military-military engagement. There is now a more formal structure to the Defence Attaché system and formal instructions are issued to each Attaché on how they should engage. This engagement is also in accord with a whole of New Zealand approach to achieving national objectives.
“Essentially it’s all less ad hoc, and a lot more planned,” he says. “We’ve reviewed where we need to engage, reducing representation in some places, and increasing our presence in others. The highest priorities for us as a Defence Force are normally those places where New Zealand more generally is putting its effort.”
Chief of Navy, Admiral Tony Parr’s, Pacific Engagement
I recently had the opportunity to visit Tahiti, French Polynesia, as the guest of Rear Admiral Jean-Louis Vichot, the Commander of the French Maritime Forces Pacific. 
My visit coincided with HMNZ Ships TE KAHA and ENDEAVOUR’s port visit to Papeete, Tahiti. This was the Navy’s first visit to Tahiti in almost 20 years – the last visit was by HMNZS MONOWAI. Since then the Navy’s interaction with the French Armed Forces in the Pacific has been largely focussed around New Caledonia (FANC). When I had the opportunity to meet with RADM Vichot in Sydney earlier this year he invited me to Tahiti with the intention of extending our focus east to include French Polynesia. The visit was productive and worthwhile and went a long way towards re-establishing the ties with the French Navy in French Polynesia. I had extensive tours of the military facilities in Tahiti and briefs of their operations in the area. This enhanced my understanding of the regional assets available in the Pacific and closer relations with the French Polynesian Forces will help New Zealand provide greater stability in the region.
Chief or Army, Major General Rhys Jones, Reinforces Links with Brunei
My visit to Brunei in August was an opportunity to reinforce both official and personal ties between the two countries.
New Zealand’s official relations with Brunei date back to 1984. Size-wise, Brunei’s Army and Navy are on par with New Zealand’s, providing a natural affinity between the forces. New Zealand and Brunei conduct formal exchanges and joint training on a regular basis. Through the 1980s and 90s, this relationship was further cemented by the fact that many Bruneian Officer Cadets passed through the New Zealand Officer Cadet School (OCS) with most of their current senior officers being graduates of the school. Since Brunei established its own OCS, however, New Zealand and Brunei have been exploring new ways to strengthen the relationship. Negotiations are currently underway for a New Zealand Staff Sergeant to be associated with the OCS in Brunei. While it’s essential to maintain the relationship at an institutional level, the importance of individual relationships shouldn’t be under-estimated. Defence diplomacy is also about developing personal relationships through individual exchange opportunities. These personal linkages provide important points of reference that ultimately strengthen the whole relationship.