The letter that ended the chief of defence’s career

Tony Davies left the New Zealand Defence Force yesterday, a week after resigning as chief of defence over a relationship with a junior airwoman two decades ago, Henry Oliver asks in today’s excerpt from The Bulletin.

Chief of defence Tony Davies left the job yesterday, a week after he resigned from the $684,000-a-year post, the Herald’s Katie Harris and David Fisher reported. He had served 42 years and kept the rank of Air Marshal after stepping down – but when the Herald put questions to the NZDF about him this week, a spokesperson confirmed he is “no longer a member of the New Zealand Defence Force.”

The timing was out of the ordinary. Regular force members are generally expected to work three months’ notice; the NZDF said the period was cut “by mutual agreement” and that Davies left administratively on October 30 with normal entitlements.

Then-defence minister Paul Goldsmith said the undisclosed integrity matters left Davies unable to continue, RNZ reported in late October, and the matter has gone to the inspector-general of defence. “We both agree his position is no longer tenable,” Goldsmith said. Davies said in his own statement that his past errors of judgment were “contrary to the values of the Defence Force” and that he regretted not disclosing the relationship when he could have.

The resignation came after a letter from former flight sergeant Kate Staunton, who left the Air Force this month on medical release. Staunton wrote to the chief of defence explaining her reasons for leaving – and in the process raised questions about his conduct at 40 Squadron two decades earlier.

Her letter described a relationship Davies was alleged to have had with a much younger, junior RNZAF member while he commanded her. The Herald has spoken to the woman, who confirmed the account. Staunton wrote that the woman had been investigated over the relationship and that this “ultimately led to her departure from the service.” She added: “Others who were aware of the alleged inappropriate conduct said nothing, choosing instead to stand by and allow the young woman to deal with the aftermath entirely on her own.”

The complaint

Staunton’s letter was not chiefly about Davies. Her account dates to 2019, when she alleged her then-partner (another Air Force loadmaster) had started a relationship with a female sergeant who reported to him, while all three were deployed to the Middle East. Both deny the relationship began on deployment, though both accept it started while each was in another relationship. Both confirm they faced inquiry after her 2019 complaint – something Staunton says she was never told.

She sought a formal investigation and was told repeatedly the matter was being handled “staff-in-confidence”. NZDF correspondence confirms 40 Squadron command knew of the allegations in 2019, but assistant chief workforce and partnerships Tjene Tedeschi declined last year to reopen her complaint, saying Staunton had not identified a specific wrong done to her directly: “This was a personal matter between you and your ex-partner.”

“For me, the harder part to come to terms with was the way my chain of command handled it, not just what my partner appeared to have done," Staunton said. "It caused me to lose trust in command.”

She watched her former partner’s career advance, including an overseas posting, while her mental health declined over several years until she needed respite care. “I was watching his career progress relatively unhindered, and that created an escalating sense of injustice and powerlessness.”

The culture

Former defence minister Ron Mark told RNZ the circumstances warranted a thorough inquiry, including what was known and when, and suggested the resignation pointed to a possible failure of Defence Force processes. “It’ll be a shock to the men and women in our Defence Force ... this is uncharted water.”

Military historian Dr Aaron Fox told the Herald the case appeared without precedent in New Zealand – a resignation over a decades-old matter involving someone at the very top of the command chain.

An Auditor-General’s report in August found harmful behaviour in the NZDF largely unchanged since 2022, with 17.2% of personnel surveyed reporting experiencing it in the previous year. Many did not report it, citing fear of repercussions or doubt that anything would be done.

The Public Service Commission is reviewing Davies’ appointment. Staunton’s letter closed on the point she keeps returning to: “What I believe matters most in leadership is not perfection, but accountability.”