Ron Mark says the Public Service Commission failed the Minister
Ron MarkFormer Minister of Defence and New Zealand First candidate for Wairarapa, posting on Facebook
Mark says the events around Davies's resignation point to incompetence in the military leadership and the Public Service Commission, which he says failed the Minister.
Responding to
Ron Mark said the circumstances of Tony Davies's resignation pointed to a possible failure of Defence Force processes, according to RNZ.
“This whole pattern of events points to wood rot and incompetence at the highest levels not just within the Military hierarchy but also in the Public Service Commission. Which is why I have said I want the military appointments to be pulled out from under the auspices of the PSC. For it is they who have failed the Minister here.”
Original post
Reporting
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.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Mark says the Defence Minister expressed confidence in the Chief of Defence Force on the morning of 23 October and accepted his resignation that afternoon. He says the events point to incompetence in the military hierarchy and the Public Service Commission, repeats that he wants military appointments taken out of the Commission's hands, and says the Commission and successive Senior Advisory Boards failed the Minister. The post links the Herald's report on Bernard Isherwood's criticism of NZDF leadership.
Reporting
About this source
Published on the morning of 23 October, before Davies resigned. The Herald reports retired Colonel Bernard Isherwood's criticism of NZDF leadership, including the Public Service Commission's role in senior military appointments, and Ron Mark's support for replacing the current leadership. It quotes Goldsmith as saying he had confidence in NZDF's leadership, and reports that the Commission managed the 2024 selection of the Chief of Defence Force at the request of then Defence Minister Judith Collins.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Mark opens the post with his account of the day: the Minister expressed confidence in the Chief of Defence Force in the morning and accepted his resignation that afternoon. The Herald article he links, published before the resignation, quoted Goldsmith as saying he had confidence in NZDF's leadership. It also reported that the Public Service Commission managed the 2024 selection of the Chief of Defence Force.
After the quotation
Mark adds that successive Senior Advisory Boards also failed the Minister, asks who was responsible and why, and predicts more resignations.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the handling of integrity information in Davies's appointment and resignation, Mark directly criticizes the military leadership and the Public Service Commission and says the Commission failed the Minister. He states a conclusion rather than raising a question or setting a condition, so the label is condemns rather than mixed or conditional.
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The Dispute Index. "Ron Mark says the Public Service Commission failed the Minister". First published: 2026-10-28. Last updated: 2026-10-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/6821-mark-says-the-events-around-davies-s-resignation