Adams Amy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Adams Amy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:653;Page:2707] 
12.  
AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) 
 to the  
Minister of Defence 
: What steps has he taken to review defence policy? 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP (Minister of Defence) 
: 
 Last Tuesday the Associate Minister of Defence and I launched the 2009 defence review. This review will result in a white paper early next year that will set out the Government’s defence policy. There has not been a defence review since 1997 and the world has changed a great deal since then. 
Amy Adams 
: What reports has the Minister received on the various ways of running defence services? 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: There are in fact a variety of ways in which defence forces can operate. For example I have read a report entitled “Outsourcing War” which discusses military companies like Blackwater Worldwide and suggests that we “recognize them as multinational entrepreneurs eager to solidify their legitimacy.” Interestingly enough this report came from Mr David Shearer a man with considerable experience in Iraq and I understand Mr Goff’s preferred candidate for Mt Albert’s by-election. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Can the Minister confirm that the person he is seeking to undermine at this point has over the last 10 years constantly put his life at risk has won gallantry awards for saving the lives of children in refugee camps and in fact has done far more for humanity than John Key and the dirty-tricks brigade in the National Party who are seeking to undermine him? 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: I certainly have heard of Mr Shearer’s reputation. I have also heard that he has written in fact four articles and books: the first is entitled “Dial an Army” from  
The World Today 
 in 1997; the second is “Outsourcing War” from  
Foreign Policy 
 in 1998; the third is  
Private Armies and Military Intervention 
; and the fourth is “Privatising”— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. How can this answer from the Minister possibly be in line with the question asked by Mr Goff? Mr Goff did not ask what publications the author had put forward and I think he is not responsible— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I do not need to hear any more about this at all. If the member had listened to his leader’s question he would have found that towards the end it was very politically loaded and it got the kind of answer that could be expected. 
Amy Adams 
: Has the Minister received reports on defence land sales? 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: Yes I have. Mr Goff was very keen to sell Whenuapai Air Base and had convinced the Labour Cabinet to sell that major defence asset. This Government of course rejected that plan because it simply did not make economic or operational sense. We are retaining Whenuapai Air Base as an active base and we have a substantial programme to upgrade that base because of all the maintenance that was deferred under the previous Government. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: Can the Minister confirm that the advice of his defence officials is that retaining the base involves a very expensive duplication of facilities; and is it appropriate that he is spending more here unnecessarily when he has sacked 880 good public servants who have lost their livelihood because of Government cuts? 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: In fact quite to the contrary the advice that we received was that it would cost $500 million to shift from Whenuapai to Ohakea so in that case there were no savings to be made from that and the previous Government’s plan was fundamentally flawed. 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: Can the Minister explain why the Chief of Defence Force General Mateparae advised the Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee only a few weeks ago that the closure of Whenuapai would result in savings and that in addition the military has a need for further expenditure to try to reduce its still high vacancy rate thereby creating jobs which the retention of Whenuapai would preclude? 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: It is quite clear that when one expends $60 million on upgrading Whenuapai in terms of new runways and so forth one will actually generate a good deal of construction jobs. The advice from the Defence Force is that having the two facilities is highly desirable and that in fact closing one would cost more money. 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: Can I put it to the Minister that he is getting close to misleading the House if he suggests— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is this a question? 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: Can I put it to the Minister—[ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: All right; the member may continue. 
Hon Pete Hodgson 
: Can I put it to the Minister that he is getting close to misleading the House if he characterises the retention of Whenuapai as being of net economic benefit to the military when the advice of the Chief of Defence Force is directly to the contrary? 
Hon Dr WAYNE MAPP 
: No I certainly would not agree with that.