Defence posts up for grabs

Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson

Three of New Zealand's top military posts are up for grabs, including that of the Chief of Defence Force, facing the new Government with a tough succession challenge.

The Government yesterday announced that Defence Force head Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson's four-year term will expire in February, as will the contracts of Army chief Major General Jerry Mateparae and Air Force chief Air Vice-Marshal John Hamilton.

Defence Minister Phil Goff said Air Marshal Ferguson, 56, had advised him time was running out for three of the country's top six military officers, and that "succession planning should now commence".

This means the State Services Commission has little more than two months for an appointments panel under its supervision to make recommendations for the Government to pass to Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright.

Although any serving New Zealand military officer is entitled to apply for the top job, it is unlikely anyone below the equivalent rank of one-star general (Army brigadier) would be seriously considered, and General Mateparae is widely seen as a potential front-runner.

As the youngest military chief, turning 51 this month, he has presided over the long-awaited replacement of light-armoured vehicles and has been a joint-forces commander in charge of New Zealand peacekeepers in East Timor.

The commission was last night guarded on how it would recommend a successor for the top military job, which attracts a salary of up to $349,999 after a $40,000 pay rise last financial year, and involves the command of 10,700 troops and 2000 civilian staff.

That salary leap was the largest awarded by the Remuneration Authority for posts outside the core public service.

A commission spokeswoman said it would compromise the executive selection process if the organisation disclosed any likely composition of the panel, even whether it would include military as well as civilian advisers.

Air Marshal Ferguson was the first overall military head to be appointed from outside an exclusive club of chiefs of the three armed services, having been head of personnel at defence headquarters when he got the call-up in 2001.

He was also the first appointee from an independent recommendation body, the State Services Commission, rather than from an internal arrangement among the defence chiefs - usually by rotation, with each service having a turn to promote its head.

Air Marshal Ferguson's appointment followed a period of bitter infighting among the service chiefs, prompting the Auditor-General to describe top-level relationships among New Zealand's defenders of the realm as "dysfunctional".

Air Marshal Ferguson soon made clear he did not approve of the old system of appointments by service rotation, and he would not tolerate covert lobbying by different branches of the Defence Force - as allegedly occurred with the Army in 2001.