Parliament united in expressing sorrow

John Key announcing the death of New Zealand soldier Tim O'Donnell. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Parliament was yesterday largely united in the view the NZ Provincial Reconstruction Team should stay the course in Afghanistan despite the death of Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell.

MPs from all sides of the House yesterday paid tribute to Lieutenant O'Donnell, 28, killed in Bamiyan province where the NZPRT is based.

Speaking in Vanuatu where he is attending the Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister John Key yesterday said Lieutenant O'Donnell's death was not a reason to withdraw from the province, or from Afghanistan.

"I think we owe it to the thousands of New Zealanders who have served in Bamiyan in the last seven or eight years to see the job done."

Mr Key said Lieutenant O'Donnell was young but well decorated for his age. "He was clearly a very courageous and brave young man and very dedicated to the work he undertook.

"When I talked to his mother she was clearly very proud of her young man and rightfully so."

In response to questions about whether the New Zealanders' vehicles were heavily armoured enough, Mr Key said he had never received advice from the military that the equipment being used was inadequate.

He said some bombs would blow up any sort of heavily armoured vehicles.

The NZPRT is committed to its work in Bamiyan until September next year.

Mr Key said he was still considering whether the 89 SAS soldiers would remain in Afghanistan beyond March. That decision would be made by the end of the year.

In Wellington, acting Prime Minister Gerry Brownlee moved the House express its condolences and sympathy for Lieutenant O'Donnell's family, friends and comrades in the Defence Force.

"This death is a stark reminder that the risks our military personnel face every day are considerable. The men and women who serve so bravely for us in Afghanistan are people we can all be immensely proud of. They're working to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan."

Labour leader Phil Goff, whose nephew Matthew Ferrara was killed in action in Afghanistan nearly three years ago while serving with US forces, expressed his party's grief at the loss of Lieutenant O'Donnell and passed on sympathy and support to family, friends and extended family in the Defence Force.

Mr Goff said New Zealand had until now been "very fortunate that after 16 deployments we had lost no members of the NZ Defence Force, but that is only small consolation for the tragedy of the loss of Tim O'Donnell's life".

Although Labour wants New Zealand SAS personnel withdrawn from Afghanistan, Mr Goff said this was not the time to change New Zealand's stance around its commitment of military personnel to Afghanistan.

Green Party MP and peace activist Keith Locke said his party felt "great sadness" at Lieutenant O'Donnell's death. "All our thoughts are with his family and comrades."

The Greens did not support the presence of SAS personnel in Afghanistan but remained "very supportive" of the 109 NZPRT personnel in Bamiyan which was seen as a model for PRT forces from other countries.

Maori Party MP Pita Sharples said Lieutenant O'Donnell's death should prompt New Zealand to have a "conversation" about its participation in wars generally.

"What's the price of war? It's the blood of people. When are we going to learn, and do we keep committing soldiers to these wars or not?"

- additional reporting Derek Cheng