Wing Commander Richard Deihl, DSD for services to the New Zealand Defence Force
Wing Commander Richard Deihl has served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force since 1998 and has held staff positions across the wider New Zealand Defence Force. On 19 June 2020, Wing Commander Deihl was seconded to lead the Auckland Regional Isolation and Quarantine Command Centre for the All of Government (AoG) response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. He has led a multiagency team for the safe and effective management of returnees arriving in New Zealand through the Auckland-based Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) Facilities. He managed the delivery of 17 isolation facilities and the Jet Park quarantine facility, encompassing approximately 3,000 staff. He developed key relationships across a range of public and private partners from Chief Executives to private contractors. He responded to challenges such as returnees absconding from facilities, managing deportees from Australia and escalated security risks from drug, alcohol and mental health concerns. He displayed leadership in the health workforce transition from privately contracted nursing staff to a District Health Board operating model. He created an inclusive and transparent environment, promoting clear lines of communication and his leadership was a critical element in the delivery of essential services by senior health care staff. Wing Commander Deihl delivered and managed a world-leading end-to-end sustainable model that permitted the rapid and safe transition of returnees through the isolation and quarantine facilities. This model became the national standard and has been regarded internationally as world's best practice.