3. DIANNE YATES (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Defence
What progress is being made on the revitalisation of the Navy under Project Protector?
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Defence) Link to this
Good progress. Project Protector is on track towards adding seven new vessels to the Royal New Zealand Navy by 2008 and being within its $500 million budget. The first and largest ship, the Canterbury, will give New Zealand much-needed sealift capacity. The multi-role vessel will arrive in New Zealand in the first half of next year. The second, the offshore patrol vessel, was launched in Williamstown on Saturday and will be commissioned in the second half of next year.
If I can be heard over the embarrassment on the other side of the House, I will answer. There is no comparison. The National Government bought a lemon. That vessel was unstable, it was not fit for purpose, it was never used for the purpose for which it was purchased, and it was then disposed of at a huge loss. The Canterbury, by comparison, on its maiden voyage from Europe to Australia handled 9-metre waves—that is sea state 8—with ease and, according to the Navy officers on board, much better than the Anzac frigates. It is a large ship. It is 130 metres long and is capable of transporting 250-strong company groups, their vehicles and equipment, and five helicopters. It represents a huge increase in deployment and disaster relief capacity.
Again, a lot. It is an 85 metre - long ship. It will undertake a variety of tasks, including border protection, working with police and the New Zealand Customs Service, surveillance of our exclusive economic zone, and, if need be, counter-terrorism. It has a range of nearly 10,000 kilometres, which is much the same as a frigate. It is helicopter-capable, ice-strengthened, armed, and able to carry 30 embarked troops. Like the Canterbury, it will considerably increase the New Zealand Navy’s capacity. I have to agree with what Hank Schouten said in an article, which is that this is the biggest revolution for the New Zealand Navy since it was established 65 years ago.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Is this the same Charles Upham vessel that Tau Henare told this House he had proof that Ron Mark had supported purchasing, even though it was purchased 2 years before Ron Mark got to this House—
Hon Tau HenareRt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Well now, he wants to talk about the dogs. That will be his speciality. If he wants me to talk about the dogs, I will talk about his speciality. I am asking whether it is the same Charles Upham that he told this House he would table evidence that Ron Mark had supported purchasing, even though Ron had not been a member of the House at the time it was purchased?
If Tau Henare made that remark—and he has not denied it in the House since the question was asked—then he was clearly in error. It is the same Charles Upham that the National Government—which spent very little on the Navy—spent millions of dollars on. It was bought secondhand, it was not fit for purchase, it was an absolute disaster, and it ended up carrying lemons in the Mediterranean—and it was just that: a lemon.
Ron MarkCan the Minister confirm that the major challenges facing the Navy over the next year are not only the introduction into operational service between January and December of the seven new vessels that are part of Project Protector whilst at the same time delivering outputs to the current fleet but also the staffing of all those vessels, to ensure that they are all able to put to sea and do the job they are designed to do?
Staffing is always a challenge, but I am really pleased to report to the member that our attrition rates are down and our recruitment rates are up. We increased the Defence Force’s personnel by 600 last year, and we have put $4.6 billion aside in the Defence Sustainability Initiative to ensure that we can increase our overall defence forces by 12 to 15 percent—this after the National Government ran down the defence forces for a decade during the 1990s, halving their spending and cutting their personnel.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
Is this the same Charles Upham vessel that was purchased in 1994, in a time and a year when Tau Henare was a member of Parliament for New Zealand First, a party that was not supporting the purchase; should he not have remembered that when he got up in this House and claimed he would table evidence that Ron Mark supported it?
Madam SPEAKER