NZDF's Air Commodore Darryn 'Digby' Webb has been called in to oversee our quarantine facilities. Photo / NZDF
NZDF's Air Commodore Darryn 'Digby' Webb has been called in to oversee our quarantine facilities. Photo / NZDF
New Zealand's quarantine and isolation facilities are now under the Defence Force's watch.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today announced that Air Commodore Darryn (Digby) Webb had been called in to oversee the mandatory quarantine.
As the fallout from Tuesday's revelation that two recent arrivals to New Zealand were able to travel before testing negative for Covid-19, Ardern said there were "no excuses" for the blunder.
Webb, the Assistant Chief of Defence and former Deputy Chief of Air Force, has been involved in Government repatriation planning efforts since the beginning of April, an NZDF spokesman said.
The NZDF has been involved in assisting the managed isolation facilities since April 1, with naval officers among those guarding the Novotel Ellerslie hotel on Tuesday after the new cases were announced.
A naval officers was among those guarding the Novotel Ellerslie hotel on Tuesday. Photo / Dean Purcell
Webb will undertake an audit of all the existing systems and written protocols to ensure they were being fully implemented.
He will also have access to the country's military logistics, operational expertise and - if needed - have the power to bring in military personnel to assist with running the facilities.
Webb was appointed the assistant chief of Defence in 2018, after more than 20 years' experience in the Air Force.
His career has risen steadily since joining the Air Force in 1991 as a transport pilot and Webb has held titles numerous titles, including that of Commanding Officer and Hercules Flight Commander throughout his career.
In 2016, Webb, recently appointed the Deputy Chief of Air Force and a RNZAF representative on the Air Force Museum of New Zealand Trust Board, was snapped getting a close-up look inside the Airspeed Oxford aircraft.
Climbing inside the twin-engine training plane, he and Museum Board Chairman Air Vice-Marshal Peter Adamson said they were impressed they were with the quality of the restoration and felt privileged to step inside.
Ardern said Webb would be required to regularly report to government ministers.
"Our borders, and the controls at our borders, must be rigorous. They must be disciplined, and they must have the confidence of ministers and all of you - New Zealanders - who got us here," she told reporters.
"There is no room for error, even if it is human error," Ardern said.
"It is totally unacceptable that procedures we were advised were in place were not.
"Our job is now to fix that."
New Zealand First Leader and deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said he had been calling for the military to oversee all quarantine and isolation facilities since "day one".
Peters said he earlier told his Cabinet colleagues involving the military was the smart thing to do.
