Inconvenient truth about conference
Very shortly Palmerston North will be hosting the Defence Industry Association’s annual conference. We have been hearing it called a ‘‘weapons conference’’ and some of the employers labelled ‘‘merchants of death’’.
But, unfortunately, the truth is a little inconvenient for some and while we support the right to protest there is an obligation to tell the whole truth.
Yes the defence industry sells equipment, services and supplies to the New Zealand Defence Force.
But it would be an incredible stretch to say this is a ‘‘weapons conference’’. The vast majority of attendees have nothing at all to do with weapons.
The fact is, this conference brings together businesses that sell things like apples, toilet paper, spare parts, electronics, steel and clothing to the Defence Force. Many of these businesses have a presence in Palmerston North and employ thousands of people right across the country.
The Defence Force is small by global standards and it spends most of its time patrolling our fisheries, protecting our environment, working in Antarctica, helping our Pacific partners, peacekeeping, helping foreign nations get back on their feet, supporting disaster relief efforts, training our young people and performing search and rescue operations.
If we are sending our daughters and sons overseas to uphold peace, protect the innocent and help nations build their capacity to govern themselves, then we absolutely must give them the best equipment possible, so they can come home safely.
Likewise, if we’re sending a ship and its crew to the dangerous Southern Ocean to protect the Patagonian tooth fish from poachers, or perhaps monitor whaling, we must ensure they are well trained, equipped and provisioned. This is the role of the defence industry.
The Defence Force’s combat capability exists mainly as a form of self-protection for when our people go into dangerous environments on peace, rebuilding and stability missions.
The Government will invariably keep placing demands on the Defence Force to do the things we need it to do, and when it buys equipment, spare parts, clothing, food and supplies, it makes sense to use locally based companies that employ local people.
What those opposed to the conference fail to recognise is, whether they like it or not, the world is full of conflict and it’s not going away any time soon.
In New Zealand we have developed a reasonably safe and secure society. However, we have a duty to our region and to the world. We must continue to stand up for what’s right, we need to have the capacity to intervene when we see injustice and we must not sit idly by as people are harmed. Particularly in our own backyard.
The troubles that occurred in East Timor could easily occur again. Would we stand by and watch as people get slaughtered in our own backyard? We would want to protect those innocent people.
Some protesters you might hear from in the coming days have a narrow view of the world. But, because of the brave acts of the women and men in our past, they continue to have that right to protest and voice their views.
This is why we need a Defence Force and a strong and capable defence industry to support it.
The vast majority of attendees have nothing at all to do with weapons.