Prime Minister John Key has confirmed the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) deployment to Afghanistan will be extended for another year from April - but it will be around half the size of the current deployment.

The country's soldiers are about to get more killing power with a new weapon which will better the range and accuracy of the rifles used by the enemies they are likely to be fighting.

The Defence Force may only be able to save up three quarters of the $300 million touted after the release of the white paper, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp said today.

If problems are found with Momentum Consulting's recruitment of Stephen Wilce, then its other public sector appointments should be checked, Labour says.

Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell was described as a striking example of a young man with positive and irrepressible energy at his funeral today.