Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Andrew Dickens: I back Defence Force professionals

Transcript

Andrew Dickens: I back Defence Force professionals · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: If you ask me whether I were back Defense Force
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: professionals over politicians on defense protocols and the way they
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: train their people. I back the Defense Force professionals every
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: single time. You may have heard over the weekend that
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: act in New Zealand. First, that's Winston and David have
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: asked questions of the Defense Minister Judith Collins on the
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: amount of Maori culture, law and language which is part
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: of the Defense Forces preparation for combat. They don't like it.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: They say this too much. Now, this is not a
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: new complaint. There's always been a few people who have
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  Speaker 1: had questions about all the karakia and all the harker.
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  Speaker 1: It comes up from time to time and some see
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  Speaker 1: this as against the old God king and country ideal.
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  Speaker 1: But the Defense Force has always used mari tikanger to
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  Speaker 1: build cohesiveness. They use the hakker to bring the forces together.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: It's a war dance after all, and they're in the
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: business of war. They use karakia and povery and other
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  Speaker 1: ti kanger Maori a lot because a lot of Maori
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  Speaker 1: serve in the Defense Forces proportionately more than any other
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: segment of the population. It's part of the Defense Forces
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  Speaker 1: organizational identity. Because the culture is unique to New Zealand
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: and therefore beneficial and bonding the team. And when you
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: serve in a multinational military overseas, this differentiates us from
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  Speaker 1: all the other grunts who have the guns. We're New
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  Speaker 1: Zealand soldiers and we're a little bit different. The question
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  Speaker 1: is whether all this multicultural woke stuff detracts from making
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  Speaker 1: us fighting fit. Well, I'd like to see David Seymour
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  Speaker 1: say that to a Maori sas officer. They will say
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  Speaker 1: they're fighting fit. And look, we've had race based military
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  Speaker 1: before the Maori Battalion and they made us proud and
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  Speaker 1: the world took notice. The military has always embraced Maori
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  Speaker 1: culture because they see it as a strength and not
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: a weakness. And it's only performative politicians in their shiny
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: suits in election year that sees Maori culture in the
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Defense force as a problem and a possible vote winner.
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  Speaker 1: And I mean ask any of the one hundred and
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  Speaker 1: fifty thousand people who went to the Edinburgh Military tattoo
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  Speaker 1: over the weekend, as they will tell you the Maori
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  Speaker 1: stuff is well liked and is respected. And I'm looking
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  Speaker 1: at my social media feed I can tell you that
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  Speaker 1: a lot of people, former Defense Force people are a
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  Speaker 1: little bit angry at this one. For more from Early
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to News Talks it
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: Be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.