The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Air Marshal Tony Davies, resigned on Friday, informing Defence Minister Paul Goldsmith that he was leaving the role he has held since June 6, 2024.
The resignation is for personal reasons, and results from errors of judgement made by me in the past, for which I am taking responsibility, Davies said in the Defence Force statement. The errors of judgement were contrary to the values of the Defence Force. These matters revolved around an inappropriate relationship I had when in a position of unit command, and I regret not disclosing this when I had the opportunity to do so. He did not elaborate on the circumstances of the relationship or when it happened.
Goldsmith said the reasons relate to integrity matters Davies did not previously disclose, that he agreed Davies’s position was no longer tenable, and that he will be recommending to the Governor General that she accept the resignation. He acknowledged Davies’s 42 years of service, he joined the military in 1984, while noting the circumstances would be a great disappointment to the men and women of the Defence Force. The military said it would not comment further, and AP reported the matter has been referred to an independent inspector general who investigates military conduct.
The transition is already arranged. The Chief of Army, Major General Rose King, will act as Chief of Defence Force until Sunday, before Vice Chief Rear Admiral Mat Williams takes on the role as acting chief. Davies was appointed Chief of Air Force in 2016 and Vice Chief of Defence Force in 2018 before his promotion to the top job, so the service loses its most senior officer, and its leadership bench turns over, over a disclosure failure rather than any operational event.