But given the horror stories we’ve heard of black mould, infestations and asbestos plaguing the New Zealand Defence Force-owned buildings, will this all be enough?
Associate Minister of Defence and Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk told The Front Page that a large proportion of the portfolio is housing.
“I’ve walked into some of these places literally with a mask on, which I thought might have been overkill until I saw and felt and actually smelt the effect of black mould,” Penk said.
“For example, Papakura, where we have some of our finest soldiers headquartered, [it’s] just totally unsuitable conditions for any living creature, frankly, but including, and especially, our defence force personnel and their families too.
“So, the onus is on us, very clearly, morally as well as legally to provide ... much better than some of these awful conditions that yes, I’ve seen and also heard about from our people.”
The DEPP details some of the “inadequate or poorly performing infrastructure” currently on the books of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
Five barracks, or 90 beds, at the Papakura Military Camp have been closed due to roof leaks that caused black mould, with personnel relocating to temporary accommodation and portacom solutions.
The Sea Safety Training School (SSTS) at the Devonport Naval Base is out of commission for up to six weeks a year due to seawater inundation. There are also “increasingly frequent water main bursts” there.
As part of the DEPP, Cabinet has given the green light to the Future Naval Base Programme, which sets aside $4b over 35 years.
“The programme addresses historic[al] underinvestment with significant new projects to provide fit-for-purpose accommodation, training facilities, wharf improvements and horizontal infrastructure,” Penk said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:
- the state of the defence estate
- housing conditions
- infrastructure plan and timeline
- the future of the Devonport Naval Base
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
