1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Of Collins out on the tarmac at for Neua Pie yesterday, Sonorri, 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: they were a hark here. I think I have to 3 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: clarify with her when she comes on. She's here now. 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: Money has been put aside for the Defense Force to 5 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: go shopping for five new c Sprite helicopters. Two billion 6 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: dollars set aside, plus a billion over four years on 7 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: other stuff. Personnel will get better digs, they'll do longer 8 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 1: deployments around the world, and they will do more of them. 9 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: Ministers here, good morning. 10 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 2: Oh, good morning, Ryan. 11 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: And it was now look great announcement. I'm sure it 12 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: will be welcomed by those who buy the troops. But 13 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: is it Is it an announcement about an announcement? I mean, 14 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: we haven't even got a case through Cabinet yet, We've 15 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: got no contract sign we've got no procurement register, no 16 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: funding really approved, just set aside. 17 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 2: What was it set aside? It's an announcement to say 18 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 2: to people and those that we are looking to procure from, 19 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 2: we've got the money and we're about to put out 20 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 2: the tenders basically, and so yes, it's actually a very 21 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,839 Speaker 2: big announcement. And then the other thing is the extra 22 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 2: almost billion dollars over the next four years for operational reasons. 23 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 2: So it's a big announcement. We're very excited about it, 24 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 2: and our defense force person I've got to say, are 25 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:22,919 Speaker 2: absolutely cockahoomaverage. 26 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: I can imagine the billion dollars is big. We'll get 27 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,479 Speaker 1: to that in a second. But why does it need 28 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: so that the seas right, helicopter's right, you come out. 29 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: You see we've got two billion bucks. We want them, 30 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: we want five of them. Why do you then need 31 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: to go away? Do they have to go away into 32 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: a business case to cabinet? Is that a waste of time? 33 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: Given you've said that you know the the financials and 34 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: the number. 35 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 2: It's just the normal processes and government and the reason 36 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: there's and I you know, I think it's really important 37 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 2: to understand this is big bucks, it's tax money, and 38 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 2: we always do this, so we always go into a 39 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 2: business case as to why, and then we come up 40 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: with the options for procurement. But the reason for that is, 41 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 2: I mean, we're not announcing this without knowing we're going 42 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 2: to do it. But you do need to be able 43 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 2: to put the work in to say nobody wants to 44 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:17,920 Speaker 2: have another purchase back in early two thousands of another 45 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 2: one hundred and something labs. Nobody wants to have that 46 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 2: sort of thing happening, and we haven't. We've had really 47 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 2: good procurement in the last decade or so, so we 48 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 2: need to make sure we continue down that pathway. 49 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: This extra billion you're giving, do you expect our soldiers, 50 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: our front line, we'll get a pay rise out of this. 51 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 2: Oh, I'm not going to talk about that because that's 52 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 2: the Chief of Defense Forces. 53 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:45,679 Speaker 1: But what it means, well. 54 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 2: My expectation is that we've had some quite big pay 55 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 2: rises last year around remuneration. So when people say, oh, 56 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 2: there's been no paper, that's not true. But actually every 57 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 2: time our people go on deployment, they get a benefit 58 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 2: from that, so they get extra money from that too. 59 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 2: So they want to be deployment. They want to be 60 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 2: sitting at home fighting over remote control. They want to 61 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 2: be out there representing their country. But it does mean 62 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 2: is that they'll have better places to live in that 63 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 2: there'll be better investment in their work they're training, but 64 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 2: also more staff that's also part of it. So you know, 65 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 2: there's it's quite a substantial thing. And frankly, after thirty 66 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: five years with a couple of years where that it 67 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 2: wasn't true. Thirty five years of underspending, cutting and just 68 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 2: basically raping and pillaging of our defense force assets. This 69 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 2: is a huge turnaround. 70 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: More missions, longer missions, further missions. Great. They will love this, 71 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: and I know it's on operational issue for them to decide, 72 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: But do you expect we will see more patrols, more 73 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: involvement in drills in the South China Sea, more like 74 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: you know, the Valiant Shield exercise with the US, more 75 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: of that stuff. 76 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 2: I think you're going to see more of a lot more. 77 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 2: So our people have been in Bahrain, have been doing 78 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 2: things around the Red Sea that have been everywhere, and 79 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 2: they're sitting around the Indian Ocean. They're working with the 80 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 2: Indian Navy as well on interdictions around massive drug classicking 81 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 2: heroine and those sorts of things. So you know, you're 82 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 2: just going to see more of them. But also the 83 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 2: big thing for them is that's what they join for. 84 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 2: And I think you know too, is that some of this. 85 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 2: We've got critical estate managed maintenance of twenty six million, 86 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 2: one hundred and four million of over four years. I mean, 87 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 2: that's enormous, But the reason is because nothing's been done 88 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 2: for a very long time. 89 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: Winston says we need to get to two percent faster. 90 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: Do you agree with them? 91 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, I know. Well we've said that if we can, 92 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 2: we will, and we've also said two is that the. 93 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: If you want at Winston once, who's the whole, up 94 00:04:59,279 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: the whole. 95 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 2: We need to actually have the economy growing so we 96 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 2: can do that. But the other thing is every two 97 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 2: years we'll check in. We're called them that this is 98 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 2: a flaw, not a ceiling, and if we can get faster, 99 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 2: we will. But you can't do it without the personnel. 100 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 2: And that's part of what we're doing here. 101 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: We appreciate your time. Defense Minister Judith Collins. For more 102 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 1: from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live to News Talks. 103 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast 104 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.