Tim Dower: What kind of money compensates for the sacrifice of our Defence Force?

A pay rise for the Defence Force, which has lost about about 10 percent of its personnel over the past year. That works out to around 800 people leaving. What would be really interesting to know and hopefully the Defence Force does know this - is where they're going and why they're going. Is it only because there's more money to be had in civvy street or are there other issues? There was a time when we were losing trained personnel to the Australian military, purely because of money. These days, there's better dough to be had in the Fire Service or the Police and in Corrections too, although you might argue there's more danger in any of those roles now than the military. So we're upping the money by between $4000 and $15,000 a year, meaning 90 percent of NZDF personnel will be above, or close to, market rates. Also meaning about 10 percent, roughly the proportion that left last year, will still be below market rates. Thing is the Defence Force has turned out some fantastic contributors. Recent examples just off the top of my head, MPs and Ministers, a Governor General and an outstanding airline CEO. I doubt many of them went into it for the money and maybe this is where the NZDF could be looking to make itself more attractive. The Defence Force opens doors to fantastic careers for the right people. For others looking to get skills or a trade, it provides training and opportunities that money just can't buy. The downside...well...it's only two weeks since we acknowledged the price some of our people have paid for joining up. In a world that looks more dangerous by the day, what kind of money compensates for that sacrifice?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.