New Zealand Gallantry Awards

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Introduction
E nga mana, e nga reo, nga rangatira me nga toa o Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou, kia ora tātou katoa. Distinguished guests, leaders and soldiers of the New Zealand Defence Force, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all.

I specifically acknowledge: Hon Dr Wayne Mapp, Minister of Defence – tēnā koe Minita; Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, Chief of Defence Force – tēnā koe; Major General Tim Keating, Chief of Army – tēnā koe; Colonel John Boswell - tēnā koe.  To the family of the late Lieutenant Tim O’Donnell, Mark, Mary-Anne, Anna, Andrew, and Katherine, tēnā koutou.  To all of you here to support the three members of the New Zealand Army being honoured today, welcome to Government House Wellington for this special investiture ceremony.  A special welcome to the three recipients.

As Governor-General, I have the authority and privilege on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen of New Zealand to hold an Investiture for her, and to confer the medals and decorations to which you have become entitled.  Each of you has rendered distinguished service to the New Zealand Defence Force, to New Zealand, and to The Queen.

Ladies and gentlemen, you will hear of the actions that resulted in the various medals being awarded.  After each person is invested, please join with me in congratulating them on their well merited awards.

I will now ask Niels Holm, Official Secretary at Government House, to read the citations and summon those to be honoured.
 
Concluding remarks
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, I have acknowledged and congratulated the recipients individually; I will now do that collectively.

This is a special occasion.  It is special because the actions that warranted recognition relate to gallantry on operations.  It is also special because the awards stem from an incident in Afghanistan that resulted in the tragic and untimely death of Lt Tim O’Donnell, the actions to recover him and the safety of soldiers.  The actions demonstrate professional, self-less and courageous service. 

The incident that we remember today was, as we have heard, when a New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team, on patrol, was ambushed by insurgents in the Bamyan Province of Afghanistan on 3 August 2010. That incident resulted in Lieutenant Tim O’Donnell’s tragic death – the first New Zealand military combat death in a decade.

Military service carries many risks, none more so than for those members of the Defence Force serving in Afghanistan, working to bring some sense of peace and stability to that war-torn Asian country.

The three soldiers that have been recognised and honoured today represent the men and women of the New Zealand Defence Force who serve our country with honour and loyalty - 24 hours a day; seven days a week; every day of the year.  Their actions of great courage also demonstrate the Defence Force’s three other key values – comradeship, commitment and integrity - to a high threshold.  The three soldiers honoured today displayed all four values in abundance throughout that harrowing incident. 

Dealing with uncertainty and rapidly changing events, in difficult terrain where lightning quick life-and-death decisions were required, you displayed exemplary commitment to your missions.  In the leadership you exerted you demonstrated comradeship and you did not let your mates or those you were supporting down.  And through your actions you demonstrated the highest level of professional integrity and brought great credit to New Zealand, the New Zealand Defence Force and the New Zealand Army.

Each of you placed your own lives at risk, and two of you sustained serious physical injuries, to look after your mates-in-arms.  Although you lost your commander, and a mate, on the battlefield, you each did everything in your power to protect one another, or to protect the rest of your patrol whilst under direct fire.

Each of you did your best, and that is what we acknowledge today.  We acknowledge the courage of Cpl Matt Ball and LCpl Al Baker who, at great personal risk, tried to get Lt Tim O’ Donnell out of your vehicle while under intense enemy fire.  We acknowledge the gallantry and leadership of Cpl Albie Moore who went forward, by my count, three times to get communications equipment and ammunition to sustain the fight, and to rescue Ball and Baker.

Your efforts exemplified the New Zealand Army mission:  To provide world-class operationally focused land forces that are led, trained and equipped to win.  The outcome could have been very different had it not been for the leadership and training put into action on that day – both fundamentals that had been instilled in your patrol by Lt Tim O’Donnell.

It has been a great pleasure to recognise three members of the New Zealand Army with medals for their gallantry in Afghanistan.

To you three soldiers honoured here today, and on behalf of all New Zealanders, I congratulate you on your awards.  You have shown gallantry, comradeship and distinguished service above and beyond the call of duty.
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.  Again, greetings to all.