Official Information Act Request – Moral Principles Referenced in NZDF Ethics Framework
Official Information Act Request – Moral Principles Referenced in NZDF Ethics Framework
To: ministerial.services@nzdf.mil.nz
Subject: Official Information Act Request – Moral Principles Referenced in NZDF Ethics Framework
Dear Official Information Act Team,
The New Zealand Defence Force publicly communicates expectations of ethical conduct through the Defence Force Code of Conduct, the Defence Force Ethos (“Tū Ngātahi”), Defence Values, Defence Orders, training programmes, leadership expectations, and associated governance frameworks.
NZDF also defines ethics using the everyday meaning of the term, i.e., “moral principles that govern behaviour.”
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information:
The specific moral principles that NZDF relies upon when describing its ethics framework, including ethics training, ethical expectations, and ethical decision‑making.
For each moral principle identified, please specify:
the exact clause, sentence, or point within the Defence Force Code of Conduct, Defence Force Ethos, Defence Values, Defence Orders, or any other governance document that NZDF considers to be a moral principle; and
how NZDF considers that clause to meet the definition of a moral principle (“a moral principle that governs behaviour”), consistent with NZDF’s own use of the term when defining ethics.
If NZDF considers any part of the Code of Conduct, Ethos, Values, Orders, training materials, leadership expectations, or internal guidance to contain or reflect moral principles, please identify the exact location of each moral principle and provide the same explanation as above.
If NZDF does not hold any formally recorded moral principles within the Code of Conduct, Ethos, Values, Orders, or elsewhere, please confirm this explicitly.
This request is not seeking values, behaviours, cultural statements, identity narratives, organisational expectations, or general guidance. It is specifically seeking moral principles, consistent with NZDF’s own definition of ethics.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Nigel Gray