"They're not the ‘nice to have'. They're very much people who provide enormous support to our troops overseas and even here."

They don't come free of charge though.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) books show they cost almost $3 million a year, The Press has reported.

Chaplains are paid an average of about $100,000, including "reserves".

Besides these costs, the chaplains' operating budget for the 2024-25 year is $260,590.

Are chaplains necessary?

As far as NZDF is concerned, chaplains are absolutely necessary.

In reply to an Official Information request, Air Commodore AJ Woods said chaplains are available "24/7 providing support to uniformed personnel, civilian staff and their respective families.

"Support to former members of the NZDF is also available in a number of areas such as funerals, reunions and welfare matters, and can be a key link to ensure ongoing support is received."

Former Defence Minister and Labour defence spokesperson Peeni Henare says NZDF needs more funding.

The chaplains in the NZDF "offer a very good service" he said.

"But of course, let's have a look at our diversity. We are an extremely diverse Defence Force."

Green Party defence spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said having the support of chaplains would be good for defence staff.

It is also "important that it is available for people of other faiths as well".

He too wants an increase in funding for the NZDF.

"They're doing really important work around peacekeeping, humanitarian work, disaster relief - they should be supported to do that work."

As of July 22, 18 of the regular force chaplains were posted to a camp or base, two were deployed and four were either on leave or undertaking required courses.

Chaplains work

A NZDF chaplain must have a recognised tertiary theological qualification and five years experience in "Pastoral Ministry in accordance with their own denominational requirements" NZDF says.

Chaplains have to be a "friend and advisor to all".

Besides conducting religious and ceremonial duties, they provide "spiritual, religious and moral advice and assist with life-skills education".

NZDF's website says chaplains need "to be available to assist in times of crisis or emergency, both at the personal and organisational level and are expected to observe a high level of confidentiality".

Extra funds needed

Overall, NZDF has a $130m shortfall due to rising costs.

Reductions in spending realised $100m but $30m may involve cuts to civilian staff, in not increasing the size of the workforce and in other savings, Newsroom reportedly said.

The army starting rate for a chaplain is $81,184 with "future potential earnings" at $150,615.

Christian-only chaplains at present

Woods said all NZDF chaplains are "drawn from the Christian tradition representing a range of different denominations".

"There are efforts underway to broaden this representation in consultation with other faith bodies."

The 2021 Public Service survey found 53 percent of respondents had no religion.

Over a third (34 percent) were Christian.

Other religions include 2.7 percent affiliated with Hinduism, 1.7 percent with Maori religions and beliefs, 1 percent with Islam and 4.5 percent with other religions and beliefs.

Source

• The Press

It is one hundred years since the first NZ Defence Force chaplain was killed on active duty.

The service will be attended by the Governor-General, His Excellency, Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jerry Mateparae, Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General (LTGEN) Tim Keating, past and present NZ Defence Force chaplains, and relatives of two NZ Defence Force chaplains who died on active duty.

56 year old Chaplain-Major William Grant was killed on 28 August 1915, during a firefight.

He was killed while tending to wounds and recovering bodies of the fallen.

He is buried at Gallipoli, and left behind a widow and five children.

Grant received the 1914-15 Star and the Victory Medal for his service.

Relatives of Chaplain-Major William Grant will attend the service, together with members of his former parish in Gisborne.

Chaplain-Major Grant's great-niece will do a scripture reading during the service.

Source

• pacific.scoop.co.nz
• Image: movementonline.org.nz

According to figures released to The Telegraph under the UK's Freedom of Information Act, almost 83 per cent of military personnel identified as Christian in 2012.

This figure came from almost 180,000 members of the forces who gave data to an internal system used to record information like next of kin details.

The Church of England was by far the highest affiliation given.

In a 2011 census, only 59 per cent of the UK population identified as Christian, and only 46 per cent did so in the British Social Attitudes Survey the following year.

The latter survey had Christian affiliation in British society on a par with those who said they had no religion.

But in 2013, the number of UK military personnel identifying as Christian had dropped by 10 per cent in 18 months.

At the same time, the number describing themselves as "secular " or "no religion" rose by almost nine per cent.

Part of the reason for the changes is cuts in numbers of military personnel.

But the National Secular Society calculated that the proportion of UK secular or non-religious servicemen and women would match that of Christians by 2032.

Society president Terry Sanderson said: "The rates of decline in Christian and increase in non-religious affiliation are so significant they can no longer be ignored."

"I call for an urgent and unvarnished re-examination of the appropriateness of the pervasive religious ethos in the armed forces."

Mr Sanderson called for consideration of how the needs of non-religious military personnel can be better catered for.

Across all the British defence forces, there are only 650 Muslims and 80 Jews.

There are only 130 Sikhs in the British Army, compared with 100,000 at the end of the Second World War.

Meanwhile, in the United States, a secular group has protested the US Navy's recent decision to reject a humanist chaplain, Jason Heap.

No branches of the US military currently have explicitly non-theistic chaplains.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Washington Post
• Image: The Guardian