[Sitting date: 03 December 2014. Volume:702;Page:3. Text is subject to correction.]

3. RON MARK (NZ First) to the Minister of Defence : Has the Government given instructions to the Defence Force to begin preparations for deployment to the Middle East; if so, when were those instructions first given?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Defence): The New Zealand Defence Force has up to 50 personnel stationed in the Sinai on a peacekeeping mission. I understand those instructions were issued in 1972. We also have about 30 people stationed at Al Minhad Air Base in support of the P3 Orion activity there. Those instructions were reissued around 2 November of this year and were publicly notified on 3 November. I have no doubt that some preparation for rotation of those personnel and others who are stationed throughout the Middle East may well be happening. The member will note that on 5 November, in a speech on national security, the Prime Minister said that the possibility of the New Zealand Defence Force being involved in partnership building with Australians in Iraq would be investigated by defence personnel. A number are doing that at the present time, but I would state very, very firmly that there has been no decision to deploy into Iraq on any mission at this point.

Ron Mark : Was the Prime Minister correct in stating on Monday in regard to military preparations for a potential deployment to the Middle East that “I’m told planning remains at a very early stage.”?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : Yes, it is correct. We have had no formal reports back from the officers who are looking at the building partner capacity mission that could take place in Iraq. As for suggestions that there are other preparations taking place, I would simply point out to the member that he would know from his own experience that all armies train for deployment, should it be required.

Ron Mark : Was it him who told the Prime Minister that preparations were at a “very early stage”; if not, was he aware of the information that the Prime Minister was given that planning for a potential deployment of the army to Iraq was under way?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : There are always discussions between the Prime Minister and his Ministers about any range of matters that the Ministers may be dealing with, and this would be no different. The deployment you are talking about concerns the up to 10 military personnel who have been involved in assessing what opportunity New Zealand may avail itself of in building partner capacity in Iraq, but no report has been received formally in that regard.

Ron Mark : Would he describe the preparations currently being undertaken by the army as pre-deployment contingency training; if not, why not?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : As I said earlier, all armies throughout the world, by very definition of their mission, train to be deployed. As I also said, we have up to 100 military personnel at any one time deployed across a number of bases in the Middle East, so of course there will be some preparations for what will be required in those missions, but there has been no decision to deploy into any new mission in the Middle East.

Ron Mark : Which one of these statements is correct: the statement made by the Prime Minister on Tuesday that said: “No decisions have actually been made by the Government yet, except for the ones in relation to humanitarian aid … [and] no decisions have been made by Cabinet.” , or his statement on Wednesday that said: “Cabinet determined on Monday of this week a decision that we would engage in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria …”—which is correct?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : The first is certainly correct; the last one is completely incorrect. Most certainly, I think the member would have a lot of trouble finding that particular quote. I did not say that. What I said was that Cabinet made a decision to allow some officers of the New Zealand Defence Force to engage in a discussion with coalition partners about the possibility of building partner capacity in Iraq. No formal report has been received from those people. No decision has been made about that possibility.

Ron Mark : I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raise this point of order in an attempt to assist the Minister for the next lot of questions that might come. I seek leave of the House to table the Hansard where that Minister made exactly that quote.

Mr SPEAKER : Hansard is freely available to all members. I take this opportunity—[Interruption] Order! I take this opportunity of reminding members of the point of seeking leave to table a document. It is to provide information that is not readily available to members of this House. It is certainly not an opportunity to make a political point. Does the member have further supplementary questions?

Ron Mark : Is he aware of the extent of the preparations being made by the army for deployment to Iraq; if not, why not?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : No, because we have made no decision to engage in such a deployment, nor has any instruction been issued.

Ron Mark : So is he telling New Zealand that he has not given any instructions for the New Zealand Defence Force to deploy to Iraq, that he has not decided what role it should perform when it gets there, that deployment dates have not been given to soldiers or their families, and that pre-deployment contingency training being conducted in Waiōuru at this very minute was not authorised by him?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : To clear up a couple of points: firstly, no instructions have been issued to the military to prepare for a deployment to Iraq. We have indicated that should it suitable, should it be appropriate, after the Gallipoli celebrations next year a frigate may deploy to the Indian Ocean. We have also extended the P3 Orion mission out of Al Minhad Air Base. Those have been publicly stated by us. They are not missions into Iraq. No instructions have been issued to the military relating to deployment in Iraq beyond the investigation of a partnership-building capacity possibility.

Ron Mark : Which of the following is true: that he and his Government have given approval for a deployment of the army to Iraq, or that there is a rogue army officer with a rogue unit conducting their own preparations and training right now in Waiōuru?

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : None of the above. I suggest that the member, who would claim, I think, to have some inside information from the army, might recognise that perhaps some of his contacts are a bit too long in the tooth to be reliable.

ENDS

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