A group of experts tasked with scrutinising the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in light of the Operation Burnham inquiry found there was still significant gaps.
One of those gaps was "erroneous" disconnect between the policy input of the Ministry of Defence into complex deployments, due to "the thinking of some NZDF personnel that policy functions should not be involved in 'operational' matters".
Last year, the Government inquiry into 2010's Operation Burnham found the controversial Afghanistan military skirmish was not a revenge attack, however it was likely a young girl was killed as a result and there were significant failings by NZDF in dealing with allegations of civilian casualties.
The expert group, chaired by Lyn Provost, was set up to investigate whether the NZDF operated in accordance with international best practice – and could reduce or stop future repeats of the failings that were found in the Operation Burnham inquiry.
The report identified several areas that needed improving.
It focused on complex, high-threat overseas deployments in a coalition setting where New Zealand would not be exclusively in control.
"Our findings and recommendations focus on such complex deployments because, in our view, they require high levels of transparency, scrutiny and assurance," the report stated.
"There are still significant gaps".
One of those gaps was a disconnect between the Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force in the planning and execution of complex deployments.
"This execution appears to be driven by the thinking of some NZDF personnel that policy functions should not be involved in 'operational' matters."
It recommended the Ministry be integrated throughout deployments.
The group said it was "erroneous; policy needs to be grounded in reality."
"It is vital the Minister of Defence is made aware of both policy and military considerations to provide assurance that they have the information and advice required to properly exercise democratic oversight."
It said that incorporating the policy perspectives from the Ministry can also assist "in the military chain of command responsible for tactical and operational decisions to navigate and interpret changes in the policy and operational environments".
It said New Zealand was out of step with international partners due to not having a policy adviser 'function' that can be deployed to provide advice and input to military commanders on deployment, and also to feed information back.
"Some senior deployed NZDF personnel may not be fully prepared to identify policy risks and sensitives related to complex deployments.
"This is problematic as they are responsible for reporting back to New Zealand on events and incidents that have a high political and public interest."
Record keeping was also an issue found in the report, saying that the NZDF had information stored across different systems and locations, with a lack of central database causing significant barriers to information retrieval.
Minister of Defence Peeni Henare accepted all recommendation from the expert group.
"The report finds that the changes made since August 2010 when Operation Burnham took place are positive, however more work needs to be done.'
Attorney-General David Parker said consultation will be launched tomorrow on proposals for an Inspector-General of Defence.
"This office has been created to bolster control and oversight for the Government as a result of concerns raised by the Operation Burnham Inquiry," he said.
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