5. Question No. 5—DefenceDAN ROSEWARNE (Labour) to the Minister of DefenceQuestion No. 5—Defence5. DAN ROSEWARNE (Labour) to the Minister of Defence: What progress has been made on the procurement of Bushmaster protected armoured vehicles?Hon ANDREW LITTLE (Minister of Defence): Last month I had the pleasure of visiting the Trentham Military Camp to mark the arrival of the first 18 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles in New Zealand. This Government has purchased a total of 43 Bushmasters to replace the ageing Pinzgauers. The remaining vehicles will be arriving in the coming months. The Bushmasters are a world-class land defence platform designed to carry out a range of tasks from protected troop transport ambulance response mobile command and advanced communications. They will ensure our army is ready to respond to the range of national security threats New Zealand faces both here and abroad from extreme weather and natural disaster response to search and rescue to peacekeeping and security missions.Dan Rosewarne: How much has the Government invested into Bushmaster procurement programmes?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The Government has invested $106 million to procure the 43 vehicles including spares and supporting systems. In Budget 2023 we committed a further $58 million to equip the Bushmasters with world-class secure communications. That was the appropriate time to green-light this investment because it allows us to apply the very latest partner interoperability and cyber-security standards. Like all significant defence procurement projects we should expect to see ongoing upgrades to the Bushmasters' platform over time.Dan Rosewarne: Where would the Bushmasters be stationed?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: After the delivery and commissioning phases the fleet will be stationed at Linton and Burnham army bases. This means there will be Bushmasters ready to respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters in both the North and the South Islands.Dan Rosewarne: What reaction has he seen from the troops to the arrival of the Bushmasters?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. One lance corporal was quoted in the media saying we've definitely moved up there in the world" and the Bushmasters "will make a big difference to the role our soldiers play overseas". A number of defence personnel and officials told me about the pride they feel in this programme having now delivered in what is almost record time for defence procurement—and I know that the Minister of Finance is thrilled about that as well—from Cabinet sign-off in June 2020 to the first Bushmasters being unveiled last month. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the soldiers officers and civilian staff who have contributed to the delivery. And of course I thank one of my predecessors or my predecessor but one the Hon Ron Mark who initiated the programme.Dan Rosewarne: How does the investment into Bushmasters align with the Government's wider investments into defence?Hon ANDREW LITTLE: The Bushmasters are part of the more than $4.5 billion this Government has invested into strengthening our defence capability across land sea and air. This includes four new P-8A Poseidon aircraft five C130J Super Hercules and upgrades to our frigates. In Budget 2023 we've also invested in housing upgrades and the largest pay increases for our defence personnel in a decade. This is a Government committed to New Zealand having a defence force that is ready to respond and protect our national security."