Air Forces agreement builds on bonds with Australia 🤝 The close Defence relationship between New Zealand and Australia has been further strengthened with the signing of a Joint Guidance Statement by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. The two Chiefs of Air Force, New Zealand’s Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb and Australia’s Air Marshal Robert Chipman, signed the agreement in Canberra recently. Air Vice-Marshal Webb said the agreement reinforces and enhances the two countries’ enduring commitment and co-operation with each other in military aviation. “The agreement reflects the deep history and bond we have shared over generations,” he said. “Australia is New Zealand’s only formal ally and this statement reinforces the important ongoing collaboration between our two Air Forces and seeks to maximise our combined effectiveness. This is especially important as the global environment becomes increasingly complex and uncertain.” #Force4NZ #NZAirForce
A few months ago one of my cousins showed me a photograph of my late Squadron Leader father surrounded by a group of other Squadron Leaders based at Waddington in the 1940's. Another cousin- who lives in Canada- told me that my father had returned to Australia via New Zealand after active service so that he could return the dog tags to the family of a friend who had been shot down. So it feels appropriate that my first opportunity to represent Australia as a public servant was on a visit to Wellington in the early 1990s. And that last year I had the great pleasure of taking part in ANZSIL 2023 in Wellington, meeting some tremendous New Zealand lawyers and academics and sharing a home-cooked meal with members of the New Zealand Bar and judiciary.
Moving forward!
Best of luck!
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1moIt's definitely a step in the right direction but when will New Zealand be capable of defending themselves without calling on another country to step in and assist? ..