Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Power Simon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:610;Page:7987] 
7.  
SIMON POWER (NZ National—Rangitikei) 
 to the  
Minister of Defence 
: Can he assure the House and the New Zealand public that the New Zealand Defence Force unit deployed to Iraq will have sufficient support and defensive capability to defend itself in the event of hostile action; if so why? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
 on behalf of the 
 Minister of Defence 
: Our defence personnel are well trained and they will be appropriately equipped and armed for self-defence. However I note that the situation in Basrah has worsened recently. The Ministry of Defence is monitoring that to ensure that the New Zealand defence forces can undertake the tasks for which they are deployed. 
Simon Power 
: Can the Minister assure the House that in the 2 months between the decision to deploy in principle and the actual decision to deploy engineers announced recently adequate work was carried out to ensure the safety of New Zealand Defence Force personnel serving in Iraq; if so why? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Yes. I need to stress that this is a team of engineers and they are there on that deployment alone. If they are not safe then of course they will leave. 
Tim Barnett 
: Will our planned deployment to Iraq proceed regardless of any changes in the security situation in southern Iraq? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No it will not. We understand of course that this a team of engineers who are being sent to Iraq. The prevailing conditions are such that they are able to be there but should those conditions affect their ability to do their work as engineers as the Minister of Defence said on Monday “there is no point in them being there”. 
Ron Mark 
: Why is the Minister deploying 61 young New Zealanders into Basrah or Shaibah an area where British soldiers are now suffering increasing casualties without 50-calibre machine guns; is it because as I suspect the Army has not been able to train enough of them to be competent with the weapon or is it because as we read in the paper the Government thinks tactics such as not looking like a Brit or an American or running away when one gets caught up in a firefight are the best forms of defence? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No to the last plethora of questions but going back to the earlier question can I say that the Minister of Defence has already said that if the situation is such that the troops are not safe there is no point in their being there. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can he assure the House and the New Zealand public that the New Zealand Defence Force unit deployed to Iraq has sufficient support and protective capability to protect itself from the risks posed by depleted uranium and other contaminants; if so how? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: My understanding is yes to all those questions. We can be sure that the best possible protection is available to those troops. 
Simon Power 
: Can the Minister confirm as reported that the approach of the New Zealand Defence Force and personnel in Iraq will be to try not to look American to drive around in hired civilian vehicles with large kiwis painted on them and to try to get away as quickly as possible if fired upon; if so does he not think that a stronger force with real defensive capability would have been more appropriate in such a hostile environment? 
Hon Steve Maharey 
: Yes to the first three questions. It sounds quite sensible to run away if fired at. Can I say that these troops are there under Resolution 1483 to help with the reconstruction of Iraq. If they are safe there they will do their job and if they are not they will leave. 
Simon Power 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. At the beginning of the Minister’s answer I lost the gist of what he was saying. I asked whether he could confirm those reported comments and given the way the Minister responded and the way members on the Opposition side of the House interjected I wonder whether he could repeat the first part of his answer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Just briefly. 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I did think that the member had his tongue in his cheek when he asked the first three questions and I simply replied that I personally thought it sounded like common sense to have a kiwi on the side. It sounds like good advertising to me.