Auditor-General John Ryan said although there had been some positive changes, the NZDF lacked a clear and well-considered strategy and conditions remained that allowed “harmful behaviour to occur”, especially for women.
A survey of just over half of NZDF’s 12,500 regular force and civilian personnel about their experiences in the previous 12 months found most did not experience harmful behaviour and felt safe and respected in their workplace.
However, 78 personnel (1.3 per cent of respondents) had experienced “unwanted sexual activity” in the previous 12 months, regarded as all behaviours that fell within the category of sexual assault.
“Women, particularly junior uniformed women, experienced high rates of inappropriate and harmful behaviour,” the report said.
About a quarter of NZDF members are female.
For junior uniformed women, 7.2 per cent had experienced unwanted sexual activity in the previous 12 months.
Nearly one-quarter (24.6 per cent) had experienced some form of inappropriate sexual behaviour, and 19 per cent experienced bullying, harassment, or discrimination.
In the audit, “inappropriate sexual behaviour” was defined as outside of sexual assault, and included “sexually suggestive jokes or comments or inappropriate discussion of their personal life; unwanted sexual advances; displaying or sharing sexually explicit messages, photos, or videos; and being . . . mistreated based on their gender or sexual orientation”.
The NZDF has not responded to questions directly about the survey findings.
“No one should experience harmful behaviour at work,” Ryan said.
“NZDF must change the conditions that allow harmful behaviour to occur.”
Introduced in 2016, Operation Respect aimed to prevent inappropriate and harmful behaviour from occurring in NZDF and ensure that, when it did happen, there were systems and processes to deal with it properly.
A review commissioned by the Ministry of Defence in 2020 found a “lack of transparency and accountability” in NZDF’s progress in addressing sexual violence harassment and discrimination.
The report also identified a “code of silence” that stopped people from raising concerns.
There were also problems with the culture of military discipline and command that made it difficult to speak out against behaviour or decisions made by those higher in the hierarchy.
It also recommended the Auditor-General independently monitor Operation Respect’s progress over the next 20 years, and NZDF invited the Auditor-General to do so.
The audit, which involved interviewing more than 250 people, reviewing a significant number of documents, and a comprehensive survey of NZDF staff, showed the scale of the challenge ahead, Ryan said.
Although leaders throughout NZDF had shown good intent and commitment to Operation Respect, senior leaders have not provided enough direction or oversight, he said.
“It is essential that senior leaders play a strong and visible role in setting the vision and direction for Operation Respect, including setting clear expectations of appropriate behaviour, and that more robust ways to hold all leaders accountable are established,” Ryan said.
The report included 11 recommendations, including improving its complaints and disciplinary systems.
“Reporting systems that people trust are essential to ensure that those affected by harmful behaviour feel able to use them, that they are well supported, and that future harm is prevented,” he said.
Changing attitudes and behaviours in an organisation was difficult, especially so in the NZDF, which had a “long history built on command and control and strong team cohesion norms”, Ryan said.
However, Operation Respect’s success was “essential to creating a defence force that can meet the challenges of the 21st century”.
“NZDF personnel must be ready to work in difficult and dangerous conditions.
“This requires strong and trusted leadership, and effective teams where all personnel trust each other.
“This will not occur if personnel are harming each other.”
Ryan said he was satisfied NZDF recognised the importance and scale of the task ahead.
Work was under way to create a new Operation Respect organisational strategy and plan.
“This, combined with the commitment my staff observed and the openness with which NZDF personnel have participated in our audit, suggests that NZDF is starting to build the momentum needed to create sustained change,” Ryan said.
Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short said the NZDF was committed to implementing all 11 recommendations in full.
“The NZDF is committed to preventing and reducing harmful behaviour to ensure that there is a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace for all our people.”
