Davies regrets failing to disclose the relationship

Tony DaviesChief of the New Zealand Defence Force, announcing his resignation

Davies regrets failing to disclose the relationship when he had the opportunity.

“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.”

Official statement

Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Chief of Defence Force resignsStatement dated 23 October 2026; Davies quotation and final three paragraphs.
Air Marshal Tony Davies
Credit: Government House

Where this statement fits

Tony Davies resignation: vetting and disclosure questions

Tony Davies resigned as New Zealand's defence chief after acknowledging an undisclosed inappropriate relationship. Former Defence Minister Ron Mark says the Public Service Commission and military leadership failed the Minister. The NZ Herald reports a letter sent to Davies days earlier about an alleged 2006 relationship. NZDF and Defence Minister Paul Goldsmith cite an Inspector-General referral and give no further detail.

Read the full case

Case updates

Want the next important update?

Follow this case and get an email when an important development changes the record.

Important updates only. Free. Confirm your email to start. Unsubscribe anytime. How we handle your email.

Source and context

Official statement

Chief of Defence Force resigns (opens in a new tab)Statement dated 23 October 2026; Davies quotation and final three paragraphs.

About this source

NZDF announces Tony Davies's resignation, quotes his account of an undisclosed inappropriate relationship while in unit command, and confirms referral to the Inspector-General of Defence.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

In his resignation statement, Davies says his past errors of judgment were contrary to Defence Force values.

After the quotation

NZDF says it referred the matter to the Inspector-General of Defence and has no further comment.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

Relative to the disclosure questions surrounding his appointment, Davies criticizes his own failure to disclose the relationship. He does not determine whether formal vetting procedures failed.

Recorded on
Published here

More from this case

Read the full case

Share or embed this statement

Quote card: Tony Davies, Davies regrets failing to disclose the relationshipDownload image (PNG)

The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.

Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
Davies regrets failing to disclose the relationship
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/6643-davies-regrets-failing-to-disclose-the-relationship-when

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "Davies regrets failing to disclose the relationship". First published: 2026-10-28. Last updated: 2026-10-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/6643-davies-regrets-failing-to-disclose-the-relationship-when