Dodson 'ordered shredding'

By FRANCESCA MOLD

Army chief Maurice Dodson ordered the destruction of papers belonging to his predecessor and friend Major-General Piers Reid as well as a controversial public relations strategy, says a newly released report.

The Defence Force's preliminary report into the shredding of documents was released by Act MP Rodney Hide yesterday after he obtained it under the Official Information Act.

Defence Force chief Carey Adamson released the report's basic findings in October, describing General Dodson's ordering of the destruction of the PR strategy as "unwise and inappropriate" but not illegal.

But the full report shows that two separate "although possibly connected" clusters of material were destroyed. The first was the 1997 strategy written by public relations firm Communications Trumps.

The second lot of papers, belonging to General Reid, who had retired from the Army, comprised letters to personnel, correspondence from Army Formation commanders, letters from MPs acknowledging the receipt of congratulatory letters on their election, and official documents and reports. The papers were understood to have filled between eight and nine large folders.

The report found there was no conclusive evidence to identify General Dodson's motive for ordering the destruction of the Reid papers.

Motives could "speculatively" include a deliberate attempt to withhold or destroy evidence potentially relevant to an impending ministerial inquiry, the removal of potentially inflammatory material that could be misinterpreted, deliberate intent to purge outdated or perishable material, or benign intent to purge material that was considered no longer necessary, the report said.

General Reid has said the papers consisted of innocent and standard correspondence.

It is understood that General Dodson has said the material was shredded simply as part of routine document destruction. But New Zealand First MP Ron Mark said all Army officers involved in the destruction of the documents should be suspended.

"The report confirms my warnings to the Government in August that large numbers of official documents were being systematically shredded," he said.

"The fact that the public will now never be able to scrutinise this evidence or current Government policy against it, is an absolute perversion of the democratic process and the constitutional rights of all New Zealanders."

The report found that General Dodson ordered the destruction of the public relations plan to avoid embarrassment if it was released under the Official Information Act.

In October, General Dodson described the inquiry finding and his subsequent censure by Air Marshal Adamson as a storm in a teacup.

"I am very pleased about this and feel it is time to move on from these distracting allegations, which have come on top of a stream of leaked information involving half-truths and speculation," he said.

But Mr Hide said yesterday that General Dodson should be stood down. He is due to retire in February.

Mr Hide said the Government should take direct responsibility for the general's behaviour.

"Successive Governments have run our military into the ground without adequate support," he said.

"The Army, Navy and Air Force have been left to cannibalise each other. That's why the Army has been so desperate to win dwindling resources."

* A report by the State Services Commission into standards of behaviour in the Defence Force and the leaking and inappropriate use of documents will be released today.