Paul Goldsmith
Role at the time: Minister of Defence, answering a question from the NZ Herald
Explicitly stayed out
Statement summary
Asked whether NZDF has a cultural problem, Goldsmith says any large organisation has issues but declines to make a sweeping judgment.
“In any large organisation you have issues, no question about that. But I don't want to make a sweeping judgment on this issue.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)The Chief of Defence, the alleged affair and the letter he read before he quitOpening section on Staunton's letter; Goldsmith's answer on NZDF culture; NZDF and Hague responses near the end
Why we used this label
Relative to the handling of integrity information around Davies, including whether it reflects a wider NZDF problem, Goldsmith accepts that large organisations have issues and expressly declines to make a broader judgment. He does not call the issues minor, so minimizes does not fit, and he does not defend the vetting process.