After the shock move by army upper management to still push to terminate soldiers after the mandate was found to be illegal, a former NZDF Chaplain and lawyer currently defending the soldiers have spoken out:
The Chaplain
Paul Stanaway recently left his post as defence force chaplain.
He has been involved in providing mental and emotional support to NZDF personnel affected by the vaccine. “ It’s been a shocking journey”, he says.
Since March last year, he has spoken to more than 100 NZDF people.
Every person I spoke to has a valid reason to decline the vaccine – faith, health or for academic reasons, where their questions have not been answered.They were doing it for sound reasons and every one was treated like a pariah.”
The vaccine directive precipitated his own discharge. “I had ongoing health issues and declined the vaccine because doctors were unable to know what the impact might be.”
He says those who don’t want the vaccine range broadly, across ethnic groups, age groups and gender.
A number have had vaccine injuries or have loved ones, who became very sick after the vaccine, or have friends who have died.It is getting to the point that someone knows somebody and a large portion say they don’t want anything to do with it.”
He predicts that the defence force will lose a large number of personnel because of the new directive.
The majority have received the vaccines and boosters but a large number have already left because of how the defence force has treated them.They have lost trust in Command.Morale is low, with more than 50 per cent saying they don’t trust Command.The military says they have provided every effort to educate personnel but it is like the education the snake gave to Eve.At best it is propaganda.”
He says uniformed and civilian staff are saddened and also now quite shocked that the NZDF and its advisors have decided to dismiss people for disciplinary reasons.
“We’re going to resist. We’re taking legal advice and looking at our options.”
The Lawyer
Matthew Hague is the lawyer for United We Stand – the group of police and NZDF who went to the high court to oppose the mandates – and won.Matthew Hague says it is difficult to understand how the NZDF can snub its nose at the High Court ruling and implement a blanket decision without taking individual cases into consideration.
It is unjustified to implement this blanket order, even more so when the Defence Force has a third of its personnel unemployed and the Command is happy to provide those personnel with an exemption but will not do so for the small number of personnel who are unvaccinated.A risk assessment should be done into reasons for declining the vaccine, be it for religious or health reasons.”
United We Stand is expected to apply for a judicial review of the order.
A discharge method, known as a performance discharge, normally requires a minimum of a three month warning period. However, the CDF has directed that this requirement will be waived and service personnel now only require two weeks’ notice to be discharged, if it’s for choosing to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine or a booster.
This process would normally give the service member’s commanding officer the authority to retain them.
This authority has also been taken away so that the decision will be made by service chiefs instead.
