NZDF-assisted Kumul Leadership Centre to open in Port Moresby

The new Kumul Leadership Centre at Murray Barracks, Port Moresby will be opened in a ceremony today.

08 April, 2022

The new Kumul Leadership Centre at Murray Barracks, Port Moresby will be opened today in a ceremony attended by Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence Honourable Win Daki, Chief of Papua New Guinea Defence Force Major General Mark Goina and New Zealand High Commissioner Phillip Taula.

Funded by the New Zealand Government, the Leadership Centre will provide a dedicated space and learning environment for leader development within the Kumul Leadership Framework, which was developed collaboratively with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and completed in 2017.

Programme Principal for the NZDF’s Pacific Leader Development Programme, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Milward, said the Leadership Centre would also support ongoing leader research and development activities, including instructor and facilitator training, and foster inter-agency leader collaboration.

“The opening of the leadership centre marks a significant contribution to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s (PNGDF) leader development capability. The centre provides a permanent home for the PNGDF’s dedicated and professional leadership staff, and a place of learning that the men and women of the PNGDF can return to, as they grow on their leadership journeys.

“the centre provides a place, from which PNGDF leaders can collaborate and grow with leaders from other government agencies and partners in the region.”

New Zealand High Commissioner Phillip Taula said the Leadership Centre was a practical contribution that would support the leadership development process.

“The Kumul Leadership Centre is practical and functional, and will support PNGDF to develop future leaders for years to come. Contributions from local artists and craftspeople have ensured that people, culture, and recognition of diversity are at its heart. The centre is an example of what can be achieved when we work as partners towards a resilient Pacific region.”

A Facilitator Skills course in May will be the first course to be held at the Leadership Centre. More than 830 Papua New Guinea Defence Force personnel have completed courses through the Kumul Leadership Framework since it was launched.

Interview opportunity: LTCOL Gordon Milward (located in New Zealand) will be available for phone interviews. Please email media@nzdf.mil.nz