Motions

Hon BILL ENGLISH (Deputy Prime Minister) Link to this

Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this

On behalf of the New Zealand Labour Party I support the motion and express our sadness and our sense of loss at the death of Corporal Doug Grant, who died in the service of his country on 19 August in Afghanistan. To his wife, Tina, we extend our deepest sympathy, and also I think we reflect with a sense of tragedy that their two young children—Jemma, aged 7, and Jaden, aged 5—will grow up without their father. But they will grow up proud of the man he was, and proud of his accomplishments. We extend our condolences also to Doug’s mum and dad and his four brothers, and also to the SAS and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, who were really part of his family as well.

Doug Grant had always wanted to be a member of the SAS. At his funeral service a story was read out that he had written in year 10 at school, in which he imagined he was a member of the SAS going out and rescuing his schoolmates from an attack made upon them. He joined up with the SAS and served in Afghanistan, but then decided to transfer back to the mainstream army at Linton to spend more time with his young family. But, as is so often the case with members of our SAS, the pull of the unit was too strong and he made the decision to go back, knowing full well that he would be serving in a combat capacity in Afghanistan.

Doug Grant was a very decent man. His family say he had a strong sense of social justice and a strong opposition to injustice. In fact, along with other members of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club, he campaigned actively against violence within the family. He had good taste—he rode a Triumph—and his commanding officer said that he approached life in the same way that he rode his motorbike: above the speed limit. He cared little for rank, believing that respect came from what one did, not what rank one held. He was also a great storyteller to his friends and his family, earning him the nickname “Doug TV”.

Doug Grant is the third soldier serving with the New Zealand Defence Force to die in Afghanistan, and the seventh New Zealand citizen to die there while serving as a soldier. Like the others, he understood the risks, and he died doing something he believed in. Today in this House we pay our respect to him, and acknowledge his service and his sacrifice on behalf of his country.

Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green) Link to this

With great sadness I express the Green Party’s heartfelt sympathies for the family of Doug Grant: his wife, Tina, and their young children, Jemma and Jaden. Regardless of one’s views about the war, Douglas Grant can be remembered as a man who died while on a mission to rescue others, and it was not his first time attempting to do so. In the New Zealand Herald last week a friend of his recalled serving alongside him in East Timor, where they helped rescue 600 villagers from a militia. Very few people can lay claim to such feats.

But serving his country was not something Doug Grant did just on foreign shores; it was something he did back home as well. Doug Grant was a champion to end violence against women and violence in the family. As a member of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club, he was the road captain in the 2010 White Ribbon Ride to end violence against women. During the ride Douglas Grant’s group visited more than 40 communities, and he is remembered for giving his bed away each night so that one of his team could get a good night’s sleep. Douglas Grant, whether it is as a corporal or as a captain, you will be remembered.

Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN (Leader—ACT) Link to this

On behalf of the ACT Party I also wish to express my sorrow at the death of SAS soldier Corporal Doug Grant in Afghanistan last month. Corporal Grant died in the nation’s capital, Kabul, helping save the lives of three British civilians and two security guards at the British Council offices.

Corporal Grant had a distinguished career in the military. He served for more than 21 years in some of New Zealand’s most important and notable overseas missions. He was deployed twice to East Timor, he served in the former Yugoslavia, and this was his second mission in Afghanistan. When he died he was fulfilling a long-time dream of serving in the New Zealand military’s most elite unit. He wrote an essay as a school pupil about wanting to serve in the SAS, and went on to do just that, with great bravery and commitment. He is an inspiration to all young New Zealanders who aspire to go on to serve their nation in whatever way they can. Soldiers like Corporal Grant do a job that few have the courage to do. They deal with the darkest and most savage and dangerous elements of the modern world, and they do it with professionalism and pride. Corporal Grant believed deeply in the good work the SAS was doing in Afghanistan in helping protect the people of Afghanistan.

It was not just in his career in the military that he dedicated his life to helping others. As we have heard, he was a volunteer for the White Ribbon Ride, an event aimed at eliminating violence against women. He was a community man, and, most important, a family man. I particularly wish to express my heartfelt sympathies to Corporal Grant’s wife, Tina, and their two children. Although we all mourn the loss of a great New Zealander, our loss is nothing compared with their loss of a dedicated husband and father. I hope at this unbelievably difficult time in their lives they can take comfort in the fact that he served his nation with great honour and courage. Too often we ordinary citizens, living our lives in relative safety, forget the role that soldiers play in defending our borders and preserving our way of life. We can also too easily forget the role our military, in particular, plays in rebuilding and keeping the peace in nations that have been devastated by war. Corporal Grant and his family have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We all in this Chamber mourn his loss.

Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Māori Party) Link to this

Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker, mō te Pāti Māori. In te Ao Māori the pursuit of kotahitanga—to travel as one—is a quality much admired. Mā te kotahitanga e whai kaha ai tātou—in unity we have strength. In making the ultimate sacrifice for his people and his country, Corporal Doug Grant demonstrated the courage and the commitment he gave on behalf of us all. And so today we in the Māori Party, along with all other parties in this House, mourn his untimely death, a death so far away in Kabul, yet a death serving under the authority of the New Zealand SAS, representing our country with great honour and pride.

Corporal Grant had taken on the responsibility of training the Afghan National Security Forces and accompanying them on their mission, when he was fatally gunned down by a hail of bullets. He was killed while trying to rescue civilians—three British people and two Gurkha security guards—who just happened to be in the path of fire. It was an act of heroism, a brave and valiant act, which will for ever be associated with his life and, indeed, with his death.

There is no greater sacrifice than to give one’s life for another, and I place on record our complete sympathy and aroha for his wife, Tina, their 7-year-old daughter, and their 5-year-old son, who have to endure such a devastating sacrifice in losing a beloved husband and father. It is the scale of loss for the family that must occupy our thoughts in this final tribute—the parents, the grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews who no longer have Dougie in their lives. There will be other times when we must address our contribution in Afghanistan and the impact it takes upon our troops. Today it is appropriate to focus on the very human toll made on the family, on his SAS colleagues, and, indeed, the entire Defence Force.

Doug packed a lot into his 41 years, and probably his five brothers will know only too well the extent of the loss his children must endure. One of those brothers, Stuart Grant, summed it up: “He truly was a deep thinker, sometimes instinctive but never impulsive. He was the whole package, Doug. And it’s important to remember this for those of us who let him go,”.

Nā reira, kai te rangatira, haere, hoki atu, okioki pai, haere ki te hunga nui e pōhiritia koutou ngā mate. Nā reira, koutou ki a koutou, haere, okioki pai mai.

[And so depart the chief, return, rest well, journey on to the myriad who welcome you, the dead. Remain there among the dead, rest well.]

Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) Link to this

For many of us, most of the time Afghanistan is another one of the seemingly interminable conflicts in a far-off place, punctuated by dust, heat, hardship, and complete cultural difference. It is only when an event as horrific as the death of Corporal Doug Grant occurs that we realise a couple of things. Firstly, we realise the level of sacrifice being made by all of our personnel in Afghanistan. We realise the risks that they face, the hardships that they endure, and the toll that they are personally prepared to take in defence of a greater ideal. The second thing we realise—and we have come to know this about Corporal Grant since his death—is what fantastic people we have in our armed services: people of high calibre, people who are highly qualified, highly committed, and professional in their tasks, but, as Corporal Grant’s short life shows, people with a huge talent for, and commitment to, the well-being of their fellow citizens. His work with the Patriots group, his work in the area of family violence prevention, and his broad commitment to his community and society demonstrate that.

For his family—for Tina and his children, and the wider family—this is a time of immense loss and huge sadness. The consolation of the support that there is all around the country for them, and the recognition of Corporal Grant’s contribution, will, I hope, be of some benefit, but at the end of the day it is going to be a very lonely and difficult time for them.

For those of us in this House, we salute a man who gave all he could for his country, a man who fell fighting to preserve the ideals for which he had joined the SAS, and a man whose contribution to New Zealand, in 41 short years, was immeasurably strong. Corporal Doug Grant may well have fallen in conflict; he joins the band of New Zealand heroes in that respect. But he will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.

HONE HARAWIRA (Leader—Mana) Link to this

Tēnā koe e te Kaiwhakawā, tēnā tātou katoa e te Whare, tātou e noho mai nei i roto i te pōuritanga mō tērā kua ngaro atu i a tātou i tēnei wā. Nō reira, e tika ana kia mihi atu ki a ia me te mea anō i taku rongo, wētahi e mea ana ko tōna mate he mate moumou engari, hara i te mate moumou, hara i te mate taurekareka, he mate rangatira tērā te tū o te hōia o tō tātou Ope o Tūmatauenga kia ora ai tētahi atu; kia ora ai tētahi atu iwi, kia ora ai tētahi atu w’ānau, tētahi atu hapori. Nō reira, e tika ana kia mihi atu ki a ia, kia tangi atu ki a ia me tōna w’ānau a nōki e noho pōuri tonu ana i te mea, hara i te mea ko te tangata nei kua mate, he tangata noa iho. Hara i te mea ko te hōia noa iho, ki wētahi he tamaiti, ki tōna wahine he hoa rangatira, ki ōna tamariki he matua. Nō reira, me mihi atu ki a ia i roto i wēnā āhuaranga katoa me ngā kōrero kua kōrerotia nei ki te tangata, e ū ana ki te kaupapa kia kaua te tangata e patu i tōna wāhine i roto i tō tātou ake whenua. He mahi rangatira tērā anō hoki. Nō reira, aroha ana au ki tōna w’ānau i tēnei wā e tangi ana i te pōuri nui, te pōuri roa.

Hoki mai taku mihi i tēnei wā ki a tātou o roto o Aotearoa, me te mihi a nōki ki tētahi atu hōia kua mate i ngā rā kua pahure ake nei; he hōia mō te reo Māori, he hōia mō ngā tikanga o te Ao Māori, he hōia nō Muriwhenua, a Saana Murray tērā kua takoto mai i roto i tōna marae i Te Hāpua i tēnei rā. Āpōpō rā ngaro atu ki roto o Kapu Wairua. E tika ana kia mihi atu ki a ia mō āna mahi rangatira kia ora ai tō tātou reo, kia ora ai tō tātou kaupapa Māori o roto o Aotearoa whānui. Rātou te hunga mate ki a rātou, tātou te kanohi ora ki a tātou, tēnā koutou, huri rauna kia ora tātou katoa.

[Greetings to you, Mr Speaker, and to all of us, the House, seated here despondent at the loss of that one, lost from us at this point in time. Therefore, it is appropriate that we acknowledge him, stating at the same time that, as I have heard it mentioned, his death was a waste but not in a true sense of being undignified, but rather a noble one as a soldier of our army in the act of saving the life of someone else, from some other family and some other community. So it is fitting that we pay a tribute to him and grieve for him, and also his family, left remorseful, because he was no ordinary man. He was not just a soldier; to some he was a boy, to his wife he was a husband, and to his children he was a dad. Hence I acknowledge him under all those circumstances, and the tributes accorded to him. He was a person committed to the cause of preventing spousal abuse in our country. That is also a noble act. So I sympathise with his family, who at this time mourn the great and long sadness.

At this point I focus my tribute upon us here in New Zealand, to another soldier, as well, who passed away recently—a soldier who fought for the Māori language and customs pertaining to Māoridom, a soldier of the far north, and that was Saana Murray, who lies in state upon her marae at Te Hāpua today. Tomorrow she will be lost to the Gathering Place of the Spirits. It is fitting that I acknowledge her sterling efforts to keep our language, and matters relating to Māori, alive throughout New Zealand. Let the dead rest there peacefully amongst themselves, and we, the living, celebrate life together, so salutations to us all, throughout the House. ]

Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP (Minister of Defence) Link to this

On behalf of the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence, I wish also to express my sympathy and condolences to the family of Corporal Doug Grant, especially to his wife Tina and their two young children, and also to his wider family. Corporal Grant’s loss is deeply felt throughout the defence force, but especially amongst his closest comrades in the New Zealand Special Air Service. Corporal Grant died serving his country. He was in the midst of the rescue of members of the British Council in Kabul. They were ultimately rescued, and his family have the thanks of the British Council and of Prime Minister Cameron for his heroic endeavours in this regard.

Corporal Grant served our country for 21 years in the New Zealand Army: firstly, in the Hauraki Regiment, then in the infantry, and then in the engineers. In fact, he actually built the family home. But his greatest commitment was to the Special Air Service, where he served from 1997 through to 2003, and then again most recently at the not such a young age of 41 this year. He knew full well the risks that he was undertaking. To join the Special Air Service requires the utmost dedication and perseverance. Only the best get through. They are the elite of the New Zealand Army, and they are assigned the most difficult of roles. As we have heard, he had wanted to join the SAS from his teenage years, and his personal characteristics of resilience and resolution meant that he succeeded in this most difficult trial of character. He was a man who lived life to the full, knowing full well the risks he was undertaking.

The New Zealand Special Air Service has been deployed to Afghanistan on three separate occasions, in 2001, in 2004, and most recently now from 2009. Corporal Grant had served twice in Afghanistan, as well as in Timor-Leste and in Bosnia. He believed in the mission: keeping New Zealand safe from terrorism and giving the Afghan people and their Government the ability to join the broader family of nations as a responsible nation. Clearly, this is a difficult challenge, but real progress is being made. Corporal Grant was in fact helping the Afghan Police Crisis Response Unit to play its part in an improved Afghan Government.

The loss of Corporal Grant is a reminder to everyone in this House of the cost of war. Governments make the decisions to deploy our young men and women on dangerous operations, but it is they and their families who actually pay the price. Each life is precious. Today, we mourn the loss of Corporal Doug Grant.

Lest we forget.