Speech
Command and Staff College
May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language. Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni, and as it is evening [sign].
May I then specifically greet you: Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, Chief of Defence Force; Rear Admiral Jack Steer, Vice Chief; Major General Rhys Jones, Chief of Army; Air Vice-Marshall Graham Lintott, Chief of Air Force; Air Vice-Marshall Peter Stockwell, Commander Joint Forces; Colonel Al McCone, Commandant, New Zealand Defence College; Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Shaw, Director of the Command and Staff Course; John McKinnon, Secretary of Defence; Sir Bruce Ferguson, Director, Government Communications Security Bureau; Your Excellency Honourable Dato Paduka Pehin Yasmin, Deputy Defence Minister of Brunei Darussalam; Mr Nontawat Chandrtri, Chargé d'Affaires and Acting Head of Mission of the Royal Thai Embassy; Defence Attachés and Advisers from the Embassies and High Commissions of the overseas students represented on the course; Graduates; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a pleasure to accept the invitation to attend this 50th Staff Course Graduation Dinner here at Trentham this evening. Having spoken to members of the Course at Government House in 2007 and here at Trentham during their course last year, it is a fine thing to now join the graduates at their graduation dinner.
At the outset may I congratulate the staff and management of the Command and Staff College on the successful completion of the 50th intake through the Course. This is a considerable achievement. The representation of New Zealand Defence Force officers and staff from other government agencies and from other military forces speaks highly of the quality of College's programmes. I note that represented here this evening are officers from the Defence Forces of Australia, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. Equally telling as this representation is the observation that the subsequent careers of graduates from here who have often attained senior appointments or who, upon retirement from the military, have applied the experiences gained here to pursue careers in commerce, politics or in academia.
The College, I see, has a vision of what is termed, "inspiring continual self-improvement in the pursuit of excellence in leadership". The course takes mid-level officers-effectively the middle management of the military-and prepares them for promotion to more senior roles. To move from Lieutenant Commander to Commander or Captain in the Navy; from Major to Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel in the Army; or Squadron Leader to Wing Commander or Group Captain in the Air Force, signals a significant increase in responsibilities and provides many more opportunities to display leadership.
It is on the subject of leadership, particularly within a military context, that I wish to direct my speech this evening. While some here are not from a military background, I trust that what I say will apply equally to senior managers in many organisations.
The full title of the role I occupy is that of "Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over New Zealand". I do not have a military background, unless three years as a secondary school part-time army cadet in the early 1960s can be counted as service! Indeed, New Zealand has not had a Governor-General who has served in the military since Sir David Beattie who completed his term in 1985. Sir David had served as an ordinary seaman and junior officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy in the latter stages of the Second World War.
While the role of "Commander-in-Chief" was initially a matter of novelty, in the time since I was appointed as Governor-General in August 2006, I have particularly enjoyed the connections I have had with the New Zealand Defence Force. In addition to briefings received on operational matters, I have connected with Defence Force personnel in a number of different settings. This has included Navy Reviews, being the Review Officer for graduates of the Officer Cadet School, signing commissions for officers, meeting defence personnel at State Welcomes, being present at ANZAC Day commemorations as well as honouring a considerable number for their courage or outstanding achievements at the twice yearly investiture ceremonies. All this has given me a strong insight-albeit from the position of a relative outsider-of the work of the Defence Force and its officers and of the leadership which members display.
Leadership is a difficult notion to define-such as applies to concepts such as fairness and objectivity-and is something which has perplexed great minds. We may all know leadership, whether it is good or bad, when we see it, but we may struggle to put a finger on what exactly it is. It means different things to different people and, as well, different things at different times and places.
For an example of this, in the last 60 years, historians and political scientists have often been asked to rank the performances of United States Presidents and, not surprisingly, the names of Lincoln, Washington and Franklin Delano Roosevelt have consistently been at the top. In the early 1960s, in the glow of President John F Kennedy's Camelot, the steady conservative leadership of Dwight Eisenhower beforehand ranked poorly. Twenty years later, after the upheavals of Vietnam and Watergate, a reassessment saw the Eisenhower leadership being reviewed and portrayed in a far more favourable light.
While we struggle to define leadership, it seems that everyone has an opinion on who may be either a good or bad leader and the qualities which they portray. As Professor Brad Jackson from the University of Auckland Department of Management and International Business recently wrote: "Whether it's teenager's views on the adequacy of their parent's or teacher's leadership skills or a colleague questioning the wisdom of promoting someone at work or the election of a new political leader, leadership tends to be something that is high on a lot of people's agendas-and invariably it's a powerful way of dividing people into those who support a particular leader and those who do not. The most authoritative sources regarding matters of global as well as local leadership are, of course, taxi drivers. They should be consulted at every opportunity."
Maybe it is something about driving others around, that the drivers of Governors-General have not been not averse to passing on similar insights - occasionally anyway! I jest, of course!
In a 40 year period as a lawyer, judge, ombudsman and now Governor-General, my career has, on a number of occasions, placed me in proximity with those charged with leadership. With each change in my professional life the definition, I have had, of leadership has expanded. As I have mentioned, people define leadership differently-some by vision, some by charisma, and some by the ability to inspire others. Some people define leadership by results and by the means people use to achieve them.
For myself, I have an aversion to the view that the end justifies the means. I prefer instead to define leadership by key human values. My own experience of leadership tells me that there are two things that leaders resonate-trust and respect. In thinking this way, I distinguish between leaders and leadership qualities. While you graduates have all shown the potential for senior roles in your respective organisations, the reality of life is that not everyone can be a general, an admiral, an air vice-marshal or a chief executive. But everyone can display leadership qualities-trust, respect, integrity-and alongside that, just as importantly, courage.
In a military context and, I might add, in the work of the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Customs Service, the Security Intelligence Service, and the Government Communications Security Bureau, these qualities take on a different complexion. By way of illustration, less than two weeks ago, was I had the privilege of being the reviewing officer for the 40th graduation parade at the New Zealand Army Officer Cadet School at Waiouru. I told the graduates that as Commander-in-Chief, I am called on to sign the commissions of all officers of the New Zealand Force, from theirs right up to the Chief of Defence. In doing so I place a formal trust in them. I noted that each commission I signed placed, what is termed, "trust and confidence in your loyalty, courage and good conduct" in carefully discharging their duties as an officer.
More importantly, I emphasised the full ramifications of just what that trust meant. I told them that one day they may have to give orders for the men and women under their command to use deadly force against others. I laid emphasis on the fact that they may also have to give orders for their subordinates to undertake duties that could have fatal consequences. I said, and if those who were there will forgive the repetition: "The reality of active military service is that men and women under your command may be injured or even killed in fulfilling their duties-duties that you may have ordered them to undertake."
This sobering comment was, of course, to an animated group of young men and women at start of their military careers. For those here, it will have been some years since you received your first commissions as officers. But that fundamental truth has never gone away and with each step up the chain of command, it has been magnified.
The New Zealand Defence Force was reminded of the spectre of being killed by the tragic loss of life of Flight Sergeant Andrew Forster at Waiouru last month. As a member of the NZDF explosive ordnance disposal squad his work inevitably carried dangers and risks. His death was a sad reminder that our society does not lightly give the powers and responsibilities of command to anyone and that it is with good reason that we refer to it as being a "burden."
That burden has, in recent years, become increasingly complex and has been reflected in the changing nature of the course just completed. Fifty years ago, the course syllabus placed considerable emphasis on military law, organisation, staff duties and administration. Today, however, there is a broader professional outlook, and many of the courses you have completed merit some kind of university recognition. The programme has encouraged you to look beyond your areas of specialist technical expertise to a wider understanding of a number of strategic issues and operational studies.
Fifty years ago, military strategy largely focused on the Cold War and the conflict between the West, and East, particularly between the United States and the Soviet Union. Geo-political and military strategy then turned to see this larger conflict played out in disputes in Asia, Africa and South America.
Today, of course, the Soviet Union has disappeared and as the events of 11 September 2001 (09/11) showed, non-state agents can have as significant and dramatic impact on international relations as nation states. While Russia remains a key player in international relations, China and India are playing an increasingly significant role. This role has been magnified by the recent global economic crisis which has seen those latter two countries stay away from the most dire effects of the recession. Having visited both China and India last year, the signs of growth and development were strong. In the case of India, there had been change from when I visited as a part of a Prime Ministerial delegation just a few years earlier and huge change from when I first visited in the 1970's.
Modern military forces need senior officers who know more than just how to lead a force into battle. Whereas the word "terrain" once referred the lie of the land, in the 21st century, senior officers need to understand a great many more increasingly complex issues within their area of command. While aware of the past, strategic thinkers need to be looking ahead, and often far ahead, in assessing potential opportunities and challenges. Those challenges are more than just the obvious military issues of assessing potential and future threats and battlegrounds.
As I mentioned earlier, throughout the year, there are investiture ceremonies at the Government Houses in Wellington or Auckland or elsewhere, where awards are conferred by the Governor-General to recognise those who have achieved in commerce, community and public service, for service to the Defence Force and to the New Zealand Police, the Customs Service and other government agencies. Some of those achievements are at a local level and others at the national or international levels. All awardees, however, have demonstrated leadership.
One such was Colonel Brendon Fraher, who I had the honour of investing as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit at an investiture ceremony at the Air Force Museum in Christchurch in March this year. Colonel Fraher, who has had a lengthy career with the New Zealand Army, served as the Commander of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan Province, in North Central Afghanistan, from October 2007 to April 2008. He was responsible for command and leadership of the New Zealand Defence Force personnel and New Zealand Police officers, as well as local and international support staff.
The background notes issued when his honour was announced at New Year noted that he had developed close working relationships with the provincial governor and that he had overseen development and construction projects in the Bamyan province. It added that he also exercised calm and decisive control following a number of incidents, including a rocket attack close to the Bamyan base, two soldiers being accidentally shot while on patrol, and a helicopter crash that had involved six contingent members.
Colonel Fraher's service highlights several aspects of the powers and responsibilities of command in the modern military. First, he was responsible for military personnel and also those from police and both local and international support staff. Commanding an eclectic group of people is not just about issuing orders, but by earning and maintaining their trust and respect and, in turn, respecting their professional and cultural differences.
Secondly, his commanding role was not about the traditional military purpose of seeking and destroying enemy combatants, but in overseeing development and construction projects. Achieving those goals occurred not at the end of the barrel of a gun, but in working collaboratively and closely with the provincial government and its officials. It was work that would have involved sensitive negotiations and regard taken of pitfalls that can occur in cross-cultural communication.
Finally, when the men and women for whom he was responsible were threatened, he took calm and decisive command. It is a hallmark of a professional of whatever calling, that they keep their head when others around them may be losing theirs.
What Colonel Fraher's example shows is that key leadership qualities include an ability to listen, being professional in dealings with others, and displaying integrity, honesty and respect. Leaders need to recognise that it is their purpose to serve. These are all qualities that a successful officer needs to display. These are all values to which the New Zealand Defence Force has committed itself.
The strand that binds all of these qualities together is that of courage. Courage is not only about how we respond under fire or dangerous situations, but also to the inevitable complex ethical questions with which those in senior positions often have to grapple. As the 19th Century American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them."
It is with those thoughts in support of leadership that I will close. I thank you for the opportunity to address you. I congratulate you all on your achievements in graduating from the New Zealand Defence Force Command and Staff College's 50th Staff Course and I wish you all the best with your future careers.
And on that note, I will close in New Zealand's first language offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.