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Review Aims for More Agile, Efficient and Effective Defence Force
17 July 2007
The New Zealand Defence Force has instigated a Defence-wide project to ensure it makes the best use of its resources to deliver what the government requires of it. “We want to ensure everything the NZDF does is done simply and efficiently,” says Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae.
The project’s aim is to eliminate duplication and streamline processes to free up money for delivering military capability. “It will keep the Defence Force moving forward, and is part of delivering the NZDF 2007-2011 Strategic Plan and meeting the Defence Sustainability Initiative goals. The project is being undertaken because we as a defence force must focus on essentials,” says LTGEN Mateparae.
“The challenge ahead of us, which is outlined in our strategic plan, involves defence transformation as we bring new aircraft, ships and equipment into service and consolidate our operations. At the same time we need to continue delivering the high quality outputs we are required to deliver to New Zealand. To meet this challenge, we need to ensure that everyone is working as smart as possible and that we eliminate waste in all of our processes.
“The primary objectives of the review are that we improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal systems and processes. While we have an imperative to ensure the NZDF can live within the funding available to us over the next three years, my main purpose in directing this initiative is to free resources from back-office functions to better support the delivery of capability in Units and Formations.
“As the work of the review unfolds we have got to be able to sustain our capabilities in the longer term. This will only be achieved by fundamentally rethinking our systems, processes and the ways in which we use our resources.”
Timeframes: The focus of the review is initially on managing funding issues over the next three years. In doing so, the NZDF is aiming to establish sustainable efficiencies which will ensure a firm basis for the future. The NZDF Executive Leadership Team has set targets and timeframes. By the end of this financial year the project team will have reported back with initial findings and scope, and projects will then be established to develop detailed implementation proposals, which can then begin within the 2007/08 financial year.
This page was last reviewed on 27 July 2007 and is current.
