SAS crisis: Defence Minister says repair job under way following Post revelations
Friday, 26 June 2026
Defence Minister Chris Penk says a defence repair job is under way after The Post revealed today that the SAS is at roughly half its normal capability.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who has responsibility for counter-terrorism as National Security and Intelligence Minister, passed on requests to comment from The Post to Penk.
In line with long-standing practice on inquiries about the secretive commando unit, Penk declined to comment in detail on unit readiness, referring The Post to a statement from the Defence Force, but said the attrition rate across the Defence Force was dropping over time.
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“The attrition rate across our Defence Force has improved considerably, dropping from its peak of 15.5% in 2022 to stabilising at under 8.5%,” Penk said.
“The NZDF is focused on improving retention of its key personnel across various areas.
“Most recently, the Government committed $120 million over four years through Budget 26 to improve pay rates and make them more competitive, as well as meet additional non-discretionary remuneration increases.
“It is clear that there has been historic underfunding for Defence – this is why this Government committed to doubling the defence budget, along with publishing the Defence Capability Plan last year to invest in a modern, sustainable force.
“As part of doubling the defence budget by 2032/33, the Government has already outlined $12 billion of funding to defence over four years. We are halfway to delivering this, with $5.8 billion committed in the last two budgets alone.”
He referred The Post’s specific counter-terrorism question to the Defence Force.
A spokesperson for the Defence Force said details about specific unit involvement in counter-terrorism would be withheld, but the SAS did still perform a counter-terrorism function.
“The New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) Regiment continues to provide a government-directed output for a domestic counter-terrorism response in support of New Zealand Police and other agencies.“
Labour’s defence spokesperson Damien O’Connor today promised his party would act on the problem by prioritising workforce conditions and retention in the Defence Force.
He said any erosion of the specialist capability was concerning, and it underscored a problem Labour has been clear about, which was: “Capability starts with people, and for too long we've trained good personnel only to watch them leave because the conditions, the pay and the career pathway didn't add up.”
“Labour will prioritise workforce conditions to lift recruitment and retention, and back that with the renewal of ageing core equipment our people are asked to operate, done consistently rather than in lurching, election-cycle bursts, because a force that looks after its own is a stronger force,” O’Connor said.
ACT Defence spokesperson Mark Cameron said reduced NZSAS capacity should concern every New Zealander, if true.
“We are in a heightened period of global conflict and we need world-class operators who give the Government options when things go wrong.”
He said properly resourcing the NZDF would make it far easier for the NZSAS to pay well and unlock its full potential.
ACT campaigned on lifting defence spending to 2% of GDP, now Government policy, but Cameron said ACT wanted to hit the target sooner than the 2032/33 forecast.
“But that requires saving money in other areas of government,” Cameron said. “We are not afraid to make those savings so New Zealand can become an ally worth taking seriously.'
On counter-terrorism, Cameron said decisions around absorbing the unit into police belonged to commanders and the job of government is to make sure the NZDF has the resources, personnel, and long-term certainty it needed
NZ First and the Greens have also been given an opportunity to comment.