Whanganui soldier retraces his father’s footsteps in South Korea

Whanganui soldier Grant Collins is following in his father's footsteps by serving in a multi-role deployment to the Republic of Korea.

A Whanganui soldier is relishing a multi-role deployment to South Korea where his father once served.

Grant Collins is a Warrant Officer Class 1 for the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).

Collins is currently the Command Warrant Officer for Operation Monitor – the NZDF’s long-term deployment to the United Nations Command (UNC) and its Military Armistice Commission in the Republic of Korea.

He follows in the footsteps of his father, who served in the Korean War in the early 1950s. His father was among the 6000 New Zealanders who gave naval and ground forces support to the UNC during the war.

“As a boy, I discovered his medals and listened to his stories,” Collins said.

He said his father’s service inspired him to begin a career in the Defence Force.

“That’s where the spark came from.”

On top of his role as the Command Warrant Officer for Operation Monitor, Collins is Warrant Officer to the UNC Deputy Commander, Lieutenant General Derek Macaulay, and to the UNC Deputy Chief of Staff.

“It’s three jobs in one,” Collins said.

The roles overlap but each requires a different approach as one role is strategic, one tactical and one national, he said.

“The challenge is consolidating those perspectives and giving leaders advice they can act on.”

His day-to-day responsibilities range from internal military operations to multinational staff meetings to speaking with representatives from other nations including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Thailand and Norway.

“[Collins] listens carefully and when he speaks, he speaks with impact,” Macaulay said.

“That’s the hallmark of a good senior non-commissioned officer – fearless advice, given with integrity.”

Macaulay said Collins’ ability to fulfil his multiple roles demonstrated how New Zealand senior NCOs (non-commissioned officers) were able to operate at the highest levels of international command.

“He carries his father’s legacy with humility, but he’s also carving out his own.”

Collins has been part of the NZDF for the past 30 years since he left secondary school in Whanganui and after a short time working in Australia.

He began in the 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. He has since served in regimental, training and staff appointments across New Zealand and overseas, including Bosnia, East Timor, Solomon Islands and Iraq.

Collins said he viewed his new roles as both a representative and a mentor.

“New Zealand may be small, but here we stand as equals,” he said.

“Part of my job is preparing the next generation to step forward when it’s their time.”