Defence Force cuts training to save money despite ‘fight ready’ rhetoric
Tuesday, 12 August 2025
The Defence Force has told staff that cutting into time spent training and operating at sea and in the air has not been enough, as it reins in costs and axes more civilian jobs.
A final decisions document issued to staff for the latest round of civilian workforce redundancies, obtained by The Post, shows that among cuts, cancelling exercises and reducing Air Force flying hours and Navy days at sea, slowing the recruitment of new personnel, and taking voluntary redundancies, was not sufficient to close a deficit.
At the end of July, Defence confirmed that jobs of 281 civilian staff would be disestablished, with workers needing to reapply for 276 new positions - a net loss of five jobs.
Another 250 positions currently unfilled would also be disestablished in this latest restructure. This comes after a round of voluntary redundancies in 2024 had 144 people leave.
Defence has this week been unwilling to specify what cuts into training and time spent operating have been undertaken. While $30 million is sought to be cut through workforce savings, the document also says “more will be required” to meet cost pressures in the coming years.
The cost-saving drive continues months after the Government promised a $957 million operating funding injection over four years in Budget 2025, including $20m for international deployments and funding to increase activity at air and sea.
Chief of Army Rose King said in a previous interview that she planned to regenerate the Defence Force with the motto of being fight-ready: “What can I do to make sure I can fight tonight?”
Defence Minister Judith Collins said there have been an “enormous amount of deployments” taking place.
“They're looking at everything they do and saying, is this absolutely necessary? And if it is, then they do it. But CDF [Chief of Defence] has to live within his means, and I think he's very happy doing what he's doing,” she said.
She said Budget 2025 was “very good for Defence” and specific questions about the cuts should be directed to Chief of Defence Tony Davies.
Defence did not respond to questions sent to its media team last week about the exercises cancelled and the reduction in air hours and sea days. Questions were referred to the Official Information Act process, which takes upwards of 20 working days to produce an response.
Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons, whose union represents civilian staff, said there had been consistent cuts to civilian personnel since the Government took office.
“If our military isn't able to participate in training exercises. It undermines their ability to perform both here and overseas.
“Morale is at an all time low. Defence leaders are putting a brave face on this publicly, but privately we know they are worried about the impacts the cuts will have on our ability to be effective, to be combat ready, both now and in the future.“
‘Tough fiscal environment’
The consultation document, signed by Chief of Defence Air Marshal Tony Davies and issued to staff in July, said Defence was operating in “a tough fiscal environment”.
Since April 2024, “difficult savings and re-prioritisation decisions” had been made, including:
Reviewing and cancelling some training activities and major exercises, which are short term gains that are not sustainable in the medium term as they are critical to force regeneration efforts.
Reducing flying hours, sea days and other training, limiting to only maintaining a safe and basic standards.
Pausing and re-prioritising property maintenance.
“We took the difficult decision to slow military personnel growth,” the document read.
Defence was still seeking to close the $30 million deficit that prompted it to shed 140 civilian staff in 2024.
$70k tour of defence partners
Separate to the Defence Force, the head of the civilian-run Ministry of Defence has been travelling the world to inform partner countries of the Government’s Defence Capability Plan.
Public disclosures for the spending of Defence Secretary Brook Barrington show more than $70,000 in expenses for touring Honolulu, Ottawa, London, Tokyo and Singapore for “briefing partners on the Defence Capability Plan”.
The Government published the 2025 Defence Capability Plan in April, promising to spend $9 billion in new money in the coming four years on missiles, drones, and rebuilding the defence estate.
Barrington spent three weeks in May travelling to the capitals of partner nations to explain this plan, spending more than $60,000 on airfares and the remainder on accommodation, meals, and taxis.