Kiwis face danger in Iraq for dollars

Hundreds of New Zealanders with specialist security skills, including former Defence Force staff and police officers, have pursued lucrative contracts in Iraq.

The Government says between 30 and 40 New Zealanders are registered as being in Iraq but a local security expert estimated that around 2000 were working there.

Teina Ngamata, the former New Zealand Army soldier killed in Iraq on Tuesday, had been employed by British-based ArmorGroup International since October 2004.

The company said he was protecting reconstruction convoys when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb and fired upon.

"Teina's skills and sense of humour gave confidence to the clients he supported, as well as maintaining the morale of his own colleagues in difficult circumstances," a company spokesman said. "The distribution of essential reconstruction equipment in Iraq is a very high priority and without the likes of Teina there would be no effective reconstruction taking place in Iraq at all."

Terry Phelan, managing director of specialist security company Redkey International, said there had been a downturn in work available in Iraq and pay rates had dropped, from around $820 a day to $522.

However, there was still plenty of interest from New Zealanders wanting to go there and he did not believe they would be put off by the death of Mr Ngamata.

"You do it for a while and then if you want to get out, you get out.

"Gone are the days when you just go over there just to try and earn a dollar because if you don't like what you're doing, you're not going to earn a dollar."

Mr Phelan said security firms wanted people with military and specialist police experience, but if an employee did not measure up on the first day his contract would be terminated.

The Herald understands serving police officers are currently working in Iraq in defiance of police policy.

A source said the officers were on leave without pay and were unlikely to have cleared their work with management.

The officers had specialist experience, such as in the armed offenders squad, and were lured by the money.

The overseas employment is in defiance of a police directive issued by the Office of the Commissioner about three years ago.

"We're not aware of anybody doing that," a police spokesman said, "and if they did they would be breaching policy."