Budget won't cut corners on defence: Mapp

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand has spent more than $400 million on Defence Force deployments to East Timor and Afghanistan in the past 10 years.

But Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says there will be no cutting corners for the services overseas as part of present Budget restraints.

Since 1999, the cost of the deployments to East Timor have amounted to $248 million, Chief of Defence Force Jerry Mateparae told the Herald in response to questions under the Official Information Act.

Military deployments to Afghanistan since 2001 have cost $157 million.

New Zealand has extended its commitment of 140 Defence Force personnel to Afghanistan to September 2010. It has been asked by the United States to consider increasing that and to complement it with civilian assistance to help train the Afghanistan police force, for example.

The figures for the cost to New Zealand would not be complete because they do not take account of police and small civilian deployments and they exclude GST.

Lieutenant General Mateparae said costs varied over the years, reflecting the changing size of the deployment.

For example, when NZDF formed the provincial reconstruction team in Bamyan province in 2003-04, it was summer and there were around 100 personnel. That then increased to 120 and is now 140.

"The increase in 2008-09 is because of the increase in personnel to 140 for both the summer and winter rotations, additional force protection measures, and the deteriorating exchange rate."

Dr Mapp said overseas deployments were inherently expensive.

"We have to transport virtually everything to them," he said.

"They have to have way more stuff than they have here."

He said that while the Defence Force looked at everything carefully ahead of this month's Budget, "I can also assure people that people on deployment have what they need.

"We are not short-changing people on deployment. We are not putting people at risk, that's for sure."

The service personnel in Afghanistan expected to have clothing to suit temperatures of -20C, high-quality communications equipment and protective patrols.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Key was yesterday dismissive about an Australian defence white paper that wanted to see much greater integration with New Zealand in the region, in the Anzac tradition.

"I wouldn't read it as anything new," Mr Key said yesterday.

New Zealand was working on its own defence review.

"We will be looking at greater inter-operability with Australia and the potential there but in reality we work with Australia and we've continued to do so for a long time, whether it is in the Pacific or East Timor or the Solomons or further afield in Afghanistan. So I wouldn't read it as anything new."

AFGHANISTAN
* 2001-02: $5.199m
* 2002-03: $4.024m
* 2003-04: $22.910m
* 2004-05: $22.289m
* 2005-06: $23.851m
* 2006-07: $20.899m
* 2007-08: $22.522m