Jon Broadley spent part of his last day as a Brigadier talking up the competitive advantages New Zealand enjoys through its military.
Brigadier Jon Broadley salutes.
He described New Zealand’s peacekeeping efforts – part of the Defence Force’s critical ‘soft diplomacy’ endeavours – as being key to why New Zealand is highly regarded by many countries around the world.
“There are three main reasons for that,” he told The News. “One is that we are not viewed as a threat by other countries. Two, we are multicultural and that is an advantage for those countries we engage with, and three, we are seen as good global citizens who uphold the international rule of law. The fact we also have an independent foreign policy is also critical for a country of our size and locale.”
June 30 marked Broadley’s last official day in the forces having chalked up over 42 years’ service, 22 of them as a regular and 20 as a reservist. He will don the uniform again only if called on to represent the Chief of Defence Force or Chief of Army, otherwise it’s civvies from now on.
He will, however, remain as vice president of the Cambridge RSA, and will retain an interest in the delivery of various youth development programmes, something that is particularly close to his heart.
Speaking to those competitive advantages, Broadley described this country’s defence forces’ leadership training – which is also central to those youth development programmes – as giving New Zealand its biggest competitive edge. The discipline involved in learning how to craft a plan, then communicate well to execute it are invaluable, he said.
“We do that particularly well. It is generally accepted that 80 to 90 per cent of plans poorly led will probably fail, where 60 per cent of plans well led will probably succeed.”
After the karakia on one of the Resthaven apartment balconies looking towards Maungatautari. Back row, from left: Jeff Simpson, Independent Living Manager, Cambridge Resthaven, Harry Wilson, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura , Jon Broadley, Strategy+ Ltd, Dean Burdett, Chibnall Buckell Team Architects, Dominic Buckell, Chibnall Buckell Team Architects, Samantha Blanken, Project Manager, Livingstone Building Ltd, Mia Sonntag, OCTA Project Management.
Front row: Fabian Neuhauser, Senior Quantity Surveyor, ECS Group, Greg Liddy, Chair Cambridge Resthaven Trust Board, Scott McVicar-Lukey, OCTA Project Management. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Broadley never intended joining the military. He was at university studying science but not really enjoying it when he drove his younger brother to a careers evening in Takapuna. He stopped at the army stand and liked what he saw. After several interviews, he was selected for a week-long Officer Selection Board at Burnham Military Camp then into 12 months’ officer cadet training at Waiouru, graduating in 1983 into the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport.
A logistics man until he reached Lieutenant Colonel, he upholds the mantra ‘tactics win battles, logistics win wars’. He has held many regimental and other appointments throughout his full-time military career, and in October 2019, was appointed Colonel Commandant (Patron) of the Royal NZ Army Logistic Regiment. It was a post he held until this the beginning of this month.
Postings have taken him to many countries, including the Middle East and to the former Yugoslavia as part of the UN Protection Force. It was for his work in that role that he was awarded an MBE in the 1996 New Year’s Honours. He also spent a year each in Australia and the United Kingdom, furthering his academic studies in strategic, military operational studies and an MBA.
Overall, there have been around 18 different postings, requiring 13 different house moves through the years. In 2004, the Broadley family settled in Cambridge and in the years since, he has employed his skills in a business advisory capacity, including running his own company since 2015.
Musing over his years of service, Broadley said he has seen New Zealand’s military become smarter, more inclusive and more flexible during his years of service.
Now is the time to stand back and make room for others, he said.
Jon Broadley relaxing in Cambridge on the last day of his official military career. Photo: Viv Posselt
