KEY POINTS:
The piece of equipment New Zealanders most associate with the Royal New Zealand Air Force is, of course, the Toyota Townace van, a real work horse, often drawing comparisons to the versatile Iroquois helicopter, with its twin sliding doors and its suitability for a vast range of jobs,
in peacetime and war.
The Townace made the headlines before Christmas when a top military official unwittingly leaked the Air Force's plans to replace its entire fleet of vans with more up-to-date, high-performance vans at a cost of more than $180,000.
Since the announcement, there has been strong opinion for and against the move, but more than 170 litres of high-octane jet fuel were tossed on to the fires of debate on Tuesday with the sudden announcement that the replacement vans are likely to be unwanted Australian Air Force vans.
It is no secret that under the Labour Government, New Zealand's armed forces were cut back to the point where we have struggled to meet our military responsibilities on the worldwide stage, domestically, or even at high school careers days, and it is this blatant neglect of our armed forces, combined with the anti-smacking bill, that resulted in Labour losing the election so convincingly.
However, under a National Government, given the economic climate, it is not surprising that many critics feel that an upgrading of the iconic van fleet is irresponsible.
"The Townace has always done the job for us in the past, it is more than adequate for the peacekeeping, cadet taxi service, and inner-city courier work it was designed for, so why do we need to replace it?" asks former Air Force van groomer Ted Forsman. "We should spend that money on customising the vans we have."
A spokesperson for the Air Force, who didn't want to be identified because he was paid cash in the form of Show Girls dollars for the interview, praised the "faithful" Townace but wanted to stress that New Zealand's Air Force needed to move with the times and, to do that, he believed we needed to equip our crews with the best vans available.
This, of course, would ultimately mean mothballing the Townaces.
The Air Force has a proud history, going right back to when it had planes, so nobody wants to see something as iconic and valued as the RNZAF Townaces phased out without good reason, and if indeed they are, cost-efficient, adequate replacements will need to be introduced immediately.
As a committed member of Anzus, we can't afford to procrastinate and be van-less by having too few vans on the ground at any one time.
In recent years, there have been a couple of high profile and embarrassing incidents when two Air Force vans were getting serviced or groomed simultaneously.
My source revealed that a fleet of Hiace vans from the Australian Air Force is tipped to replace the Townaces but Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Jim's Lawnmowing franchise also tendered for the Air Force contract.
The advantage of buying the Hiaces from the Australian Air Force is that they have been customised for Air Force use.
"We will need to spend very little on them to make them operational. Essentially, it will just be a matter of changing the number plates and giving them a paint job," says Forsman.
The Hiaces are a step up from the Townaces, as are the Hyundai H1s, but many question whether the Air Force will have the expertise to do the maintenance on these newer, more high-tech utility vans.
Defence analyst Brendon Hogard believes the Australian deal is probably the one most likely to fly as it gives New Zealand an opportunity to better fulfil its commitments to Anzus.
His views are backed by retired Royal New Zealand Air Force colonel Bobby Winton.
"Working with the Australian Air Force so closely is a first since World War II, and it will have benefits for both countries," he said.
"Taking Australia's old vans off their hands is demonstrating a strong commitment to working with our neighbours across the Tasman, and it's about time we pulled our weight. These secondhand vans from Australia are coming at a good price and we should take them while we can."
What is not so clear is why Australia is so keen to sell its Hiaces in the first place.
My source told me the Hiaces had been plagued by problems since they were imported from Japan.
The radios failed to tune in to many of the local stations and many had had their odometers wound back, meaning they had done many more kilometres on the road than first thought.
New Zealand's Air Force Townaces are scheduled to be mothballed in February. They will be available for private sale but, as yet, there has been no interest locally or from overseas buyers.
In the meantime, the vans will be wrapped in plastic and stored at Wigram Airbase until a suitable buyer is found.
