Speech to the National Press Club
Heather Roy MP
Thursday, June 5 2008
Speech to the National Press Club; Bellamy's, Parliament, Wellington; Thursday, June 5 2008
It is considered something of an honour to speak to the National Press Club, and I thank you for the invitation.
When he invited me, Peter Isaac very kindly said that my weekly email newsletter - Heather Roy's Diary - deserved a
wider audience. Truth be told, my Diary has caused some grief recently - but not grief of my own making.
The Electoral Finance Act has brought with it nothing but confusion and frustration and now, according to the Act, my
newsletter to constituents - who have signed up for it - is considered a legitimate product of my job in non-election
years, but an election advertisement from January 1 in an election year. That means it must be authorised by the ACT
Party financial agent, and the cost of its production counted as an election expense. I've brought a few back copies for
distribution so that you can each make up your own mind about the voracity of this allegation - to my mind, though, this
law is an ass.
There is any number of things I could speak to you about today - with an election just around the corner I could have
taken the opportunity to deliver a Party political broadcast, but I didn't think you'd thank me for that. Although our
own election is heating up the US race for President is the one that has captured the television time, the newspaper
headlines and the minds of many here. I've partly been fascinated by the candidates' campaigning tools and techniques -
particularly their highly rated websites. Barack Obama played the old town hall meetings well and tied it in with his IT
campaign. Hilary Clinton ran on "experience" and detailed policy.
It remains to be seen how Mr Obama's undoubted charisma will compare with what Senator John McCain can deliver.
Senator McCain has endured tests of integrity that would leave most of us wanting. He was a pilot in the Viet Nam War,
was shot down over the North and endured deplorable conditions as a Prisoner of War for four years. When his captors
learned he was the son of the Commander of America's South Pacific Fleet they offered to let him go. The sons of senior
officers are ordered to decline such offers and McCain did - I doubt many could have withstood what he did.
So the campaign has begun between two remarkable men.
Mr Obama was clearly confident of winning the Democrats' nomination when he delivered a speech on June 1 in Sioux Falls,
announcing his policy for the veterans of the US wars. His delivery was strong on ideals and patriotism, and contrasted
sorely with the Crown Apology delivered here last week by the Prime Minister to our own Viet Nam veterans. This was the
topic of my Diary last week, and where I'd like to start today's di
Forty-three years ago last week, then Prime Minister Keith Holyoake announced that New Zealand would contribute to the
defence of South Viet Nam by sending troops.
Last Wednesday the Crown offered a long-awaited apology to those Defence Force personnel for the lack of recognition and
inadequate support extended to them on their return. It was delivered to a full public gallery of veterans in Parliament
because it was very important to them.
New Zealand wasn't the only nation whose people neglected the Viet Nam veterans - John Howard gave the Australian
apology in November 2006 at Long Tan in Viet Nam, and former US Senator and disabled US Army Viet Nam veteran Max
Cleland has summed up the situation:
"Within the soul of each Viet Nam veteran there is probably something that says 'Bad war, good soldier.' Only now are
people beginning to separate the war from the warrior."
Although our Viet Nam veterans served with as much heroism and distinction as the veterans of all other wars, they flew
home under cover of darkness so their return would not become the focus of demonstrations. Yet our veterans have many
reasons to be proud, including the fact that New Zealand's contribution included a large humanitarian component.
That these men, and a small number of women, had endured great privation in the service of their country never seemed to
enter the national consciousness despite the 37 fatalities and 187 wounded.
As it was our troops' duty to defend the nation, it is our duty to care for them on their return. They did as they were
ordered but we failed them. So a long overdue recognition of the contribution of over 3,000 kiwis was made alongside an
apology for lack of support these veterans received.
My own involvement in the military has given me a much better understanding of the issues. I'm proud to have been added
to the long list of politicians who have served their country in this way - from James Hargest who was highly decorated
for bravery, to Jack Marshall and Trevor de Cleene among many others. In our current Parliament Ron Mark and Wayne Mapp
both have previous military experience, but what was once commonplace has now become something of an exception.
Just over two years ago I completed six weeks of Territorial Basic Training at Waiouru Military Camp - I 'marched out'
at Queen's Birthday weekend 2006. The training was hard - challenging both physically and psychologically - but it was
also exciting and enjoyable. I graduated alongside my 41 army recruit colleagues from recruit to soldier with a real
sense of achievement and, as I had been advised by my military friends, wore my uniform with pride.
The Army News broke the story of my enlistment at the end of April. The article began by asking why a 42-year-old
married mother of five, who is also a Member of Parliament, would join the Territorials. Good question, and one I asked
myself several times during my training - especially when struggling out of bed at 5.30 every morning, cleaning toilets
or sweeping leaves at 6am, or when my hands were so cold in the Waiouru wind and rain I could hardly feel them but
gloves weren't an option because I had a weapon to carry.
There is no simple answer. Joining the Territorials was something I'd thought about for some time, but family and work
commitments had made going away for six weeks impossible. When I became ACT's National Security Spokesman after the last
election, and spent some time working on defence issues, my interest was rekindled. With some gentle encouragement from
military friends, the time seemed right.
I discovered shortly after arriving that one of the young men, an 18-year-old, had been in my son's class at primary
school - that was a particularly sobering moment. As I have said, the training is very demanding and, I wondered how I
was going to keep up with the fit young men and women. I have always taken exercise seriously and had made some effort
to get fit before training. As it turned out I passed the required fitness level with a G1 pass - the top category. I
managed a 2.4 km run in 11 minutes 21 seconds, 21 press ups and 118 sit-ups. I didn't think that was too badly for an
'older woman'.
The issue of age was never raised, and the other recruits treated me as just one of the crowd. The army promised no
special treatment, and certainly the NCOs had no more difficulty shouting at me than at the 18-year-olds. For six weeks
I was Recruit Roy - most often just 'Roy'- with my name on sticky tape attached to my jungle hat along with everyone
else.
In some areas I had certain advantages over the young men - some of whom struggled to make a bed with hospital corners
and were up until the small hours ironing their uniforms. With a full programme and little spare time, lights out at 10
and constant uniform inspections there was no other option. I have to confess to now realising the great benefits of
ownership of a head torch for ironing in the dark too.
Shortly before I left for Waiouru I received a letter from a fellow Territorial. He commented that nowhere else had he
come across the situation where you are brought together with others from all walks of life, live in close proximity and
work together for a common aim. I was amazed at how quickly a group of very different people managed just that. In my
platoon we had a lawyer, a farmer, policeman, a teacher, two hairdressers, a receptionist, government department
employees, army employees, tradesmen, several unemployed people - and an MP. Many of us have become firm friends and, I
suspect, these friendships will be lifelong.
Waiouru in May and June is not known for its clement weather, but the army stops for nothing. Some had never seen snow
before and had the opportunity to get an 'up close' inspection doing press-ups. We also did some serious square bashing
in driving snow - there is nothing quite like the cold to concentrate one's mind.
Much of the first two weeks of training involved an introduction to weapons. My Styer rifle became my constant companion
and it took some time drastic disciplinary training to make sure I had it with me at all times. One morning in the field
I left it sitting where I had been eating breakfast. Worse still, I didn't realise I'd left it unattended - until one of
our instructors brought it over to me. My punishment was to leopard crawl 100m with the rest of my platoon in the wet,
muddy field we were working in. Those who know me well will be very surprised at my new-found skill with weapons.
Previously I had no experience
But we did get to throw two live grenades. Everyone got pretty excited about this but, to be frank, I found them a bit
of an anti-climax. They aren't hard to operate and, after many dummy runs, we were given the real thing: you simply
cradle the grenade, remove the safety catch, pull the pin and throw - in my case not very far. Then you duck, to avoid
being injured - very sensible, but it means that you don't get to see the explosion. I've decided I'm better at throwing
metaphorical grenades in Parliament than throwing the real variety.
I much preferred the stalking and live fire manoeuvres. Simply put, stalking involves sneaking through the countryside
evading patrols and requires a degree of patience. The young chaps doing McGyver rolls simply drew attention to
themselves and made it easier for the likes of me to sneak along unnoticed. Live fire manoeuvres incorporated much of
our fieldwork and weapon firing techniques. We stalked a stationary enemy for a few hundred metres working in pairs. You
place a lot of trust in your partner when you know that real rounds are being fired and a mistake will be disastrous. It
makes you very careful.
All activities were a basis for teamwork, and the utilisation of some people's strengths to overcome the weaknesses of
others was brought home very clearly on the assault course. The course - incorporating a six foot wall, rope and monkey
bar obstacles to clamber over, water races over barbed wire and wire bridges, amongst other obstacles - was run as a
competition between sections, groups of around 10 in which we did all our field work. Here the team really was only as
fast as its weakest man and we quickly learnt to help each other to get a good result.
There were some very amusing moments too: as we were in Waiouru in autumn, the leaves were falling from the trees -
usually on to wet concrete, where they then stuck - faster than they could be swept up around our barracks. After
several days of trying to do our best with well worn army brooms, one young men in my section decided our plan of attack
was completely misguided. Lining us all up with our black leaf-holding plastic bags, he proceeded to strip all the
nearby trees of leaves. We didn't have to sweep again for days and this was, I thought, a great army solution to a silly
army problem.
There has, of course, been the predictable criticism of being absent from Parliament during my six weeks of training. I
can say in my own defence that two weeks was Parliamentary Recess, and while I was crawling through the mud in Waiouru
some were taking Business Class trips abroad. It's hard to strike a balance: if you sit in Parliament, the accusation is
that you're out of touch with ordinary Kiwis; when you get out and about, you're neglecting your taxpayer-funded duties.
Nonetheless, I still have to justify the time commitment. I don't apologise for my time away and don't regret a moment
of my soldier training. I have had a unique insight into the armed forces that will be invaluable in my day job. No
amount of reading - or even talking to servicemen - could replace the experience and skills I have gained. And on the
money front, all I earned from the Defence budget has been donated to an RSA charity - a worthy cause going mainly to
Viet Nam vet
One of the things the defence force does best is train leaders. Showing recruits that they have responsibilities to
others as well as themselves is woven amongst the skills the army teaches, and the development of leadership is evident
- especially in team based activities. When I'm asked what I learnt in the army the answer is discipline, teamwork,
leadership and pride.
The Territorials perform many functions. One of the most significant is to weave the army thread throughout the fabric
of society. It is important that the defence forces are seen as an extension of the people - the army is our army.
Recruitment and retention have been problem areas for the defence force services for some time, and it's not hard to see
why: several of my fellow recruits had to take annual leave or leave without pay to attend their basic training. This is
particularly hard for those with families to support. To add insult to injury, most are then taxed at the secondary tax
level and were essentially serving for the honour and the glory. There is plenty of work here for an MP. ACT has already
announced that one of our bottom lines in post-election negotiations will be to abolish the top 39 cent rate of personal
tax and to move towards a lower, flatter rate of tax.
At a much higher level, the question remains: ‘what should New Zealand's Defence Policy be?'
It will always be hard to answer because it involves the prediction of the future. The Prime Minister has said we live
in an amazingly benign defence environment. Not true, but we are unlikely to have to fight a war of the traditional kind
again. The demand in the immediate future is likely to be for: peacekeeping soldiers - forces for anti-terrorism and
counter-insurgency operations, where our forces occupy a position halfway between traditional soldiers and a police
force and are faced with many types of threat including guerrilla warfare. Our servicemen and women must be prepared for
all eventualities and so their training needs to incorporate the traditional skills as well as new techniques and
technologies - even for peacekeeping missions.
The Government has decided that the likely demand in future will be for infantry and other army units. The airforce and
navy are likely to be required to augment the activities of the army. That's why the current Government, rightly or
wrongly, disbanded the combat wing of the airforce and is moving to make our navy a fisheries protection service. The
demand from our allies is for infantry, infantry and more infantry.
To its credit, the current Government has increased the defence budget - but the military still runs a shoestring
operation. We were limited to 25 rounds each during our practise with the light machine gun and when training with
rockets we only saw empty launchers. And that is not sophisticated equipment.
New Zealand's defence policy should centre around what our contribution to the Pacific Region and to our allies further
afield should be. This can only be determined following both internal and external discussions with the relevant nations
- co-ordinated and integrated planning. To date these discussions haven't been entertained so the role, strength,
capability and funding of a useful defence force appropriate to our size cannot be achieved. Much greater use of
reservists, for example, would mean our overseas obligations could be carried out at the same time as our National
Security (Civil Defence, Fisheries, Customs, Coastguard, to name a few)
Given my own positive experiences of military training I'm frequently asked if I want to see a return to compulsory
military training. I'm constantly amazed at the respect with which our older generations regard military service. My own
parents' attitude is a case in point: after much discussion and planning, Mum and Dad eventually decided against coming
to Parliament to hear me deliver my maiden speech and listened to it instead on the radio. There was no way, however,
that they would miss my army marching out parade - Dad looked as if he would burst with pride.
The short answer to the CMT question is no, because the army doesn't want it. There is a lot of truth in the saying that
one volunteer is worth 10 pressed men.
Nor do I agree with army training for delinquent youth, as is perennially proposed and has been raised again recently
with the National Party's ‘boot-camp' proposal. It might have some benefits for the youth involved, but for the army
would be just one more job to do. Their job is to train soldiers, not to be a welfare agency. That doesn't mean that
properly-funded and well-run programmes like the Limited Service Volunteer Scheme don't have a place - they do but they
should remain the funding domain of MSD with practical army involvement. The success of such programmes will always
depend too on co-ordinated follow-up with the defence force and employer liaison.
What we do need is a plan to encourage and to recognise service. I want to see a programme of Voluntary National Service
where those prepared to serve their country are rewarded for their efforts. Incentives provided for those prepared to
join one of the forces - perhaps even extend this to other areas of National Security such as the police - by for
example writing student loans down or off depending on the length of commitment. The National Party has suggested
bonding for doctors in rural areas. This could be expanded to all areas where we have skill and experience gaps.
I could tell you much more about my own military experiences - the digging of holes to sleep in, putting up barbed wire
fences in the dark, the art of camouflage or my more recent training as a Field Engineer with my unit - 5 Wellington,
West Coast and Taranaki Battalion Group. However I've spoken for long enough and I've managed to pretty much ignore the
topic I was billed as speaking about - that's a little trick that Richard Prebble taught me, and I hope you'll forgive
my indulgence. As a means of contrition I'm more than happy to take questions on that topic.
ENDS