Army chief Major General John Boswell says the views in the essay are not endorsed by the army. The army chief will meet with Defence Force staff after internal furore about the army's publication of an essay that argued diversity was "corrosive to society". The essay, titled Can the Army Afford to go Woke, Benign Social Progress or National Security Threat, won an army writing competition in the “private writing category”. It was published on an army website on July 1, before being taken down after a backlash within the Defence Force ranks. “I have spoken to the Chief of Defence Force re-iterating my expectation of the New Zealand Defence Force – that our values are of inclusivity and diversity,” Henare said.

Source: Stuff July 07, 2021 02:21 UTC