- Hon Andrew Little
Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today.
"This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment," Andrew Little said.
"This Government has turned around the historic underinvestment in our Defence capabilities.
"This year we delivered the largest pay increase in a decade for our soldiers, sailors and aviators.
"We've also bought new kit including the P8-A Poseidon surveillance aircraft, the Super Hercules strategic airlift, and the Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles.
"Now we're making sure our Defence Force has the modern base facilities they need at Burnham for future challenges.
"Today's sod turning shows this Government continues to take national security seriously. The global security environment has changed. With climate change and an increasingly contested geostrategic environment, including in our Pacific neighbourhood, we need to support our defence personnel with the right working environments so they can keep Kiwis safe," Andrew Little said.
The Burnham MSF is one of nine major logistics projects to be delivered as part of the Defence Estate Regeneration Programme over the next five years and total $224 million.
Other projects include a new operational space for the New Zealand Army's 3 Transport Company, an updated Defence College, a new health and rehabilitation centre, and a new fuel facility at Ohakea Airbase.
