ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force

nZAF Peacekeepers
FlTlT wing with his Afghan
colleague take tea with a family
MeNtorINg aND
CaPaCIty BuIlDINg
IN BaMyaN ProvINCe
by FlTlT mark wing
‘change’ is a word we’ve come to know only too well within
defence! For the Afghan people this is somewhat different
and bringing change to their country is a slow and painstaking
process.
My deployment to bamyan Province is as the Field
development Advisor (engineer) within the NZPRT. bamyan is a
beautiful, harsh province nestled in the mountains of the Hindu
kush, directly on the route of the original Silk Road.
My role within the NZ PRT is a new role. Since we have moved
from a purely security model for bamyan into Transition (the
first province in Afghanistan to do so) a wider emphasis is now
placed on development and Governmental capacity building.
The Field development Advisor’s role is focused on technical
capacity building and mentoring in the ‘line ministries’ of the
provincial government.
on guidance from the Provincial Governor, Habiba Sarabi
(Afghan’s first woman governor), my initial focus has been on
the department of Public works. It is a challenge to change
the mindset of the senior officials and managers, who are
reactive in nature. The years of communist rule had shaped
the operations of the departments and ministries, based on
autocratic rule, bureaucracy and tight control at all levels. This
influence very much stands to this day.
Their systems are hampered by the lack of the basics
such as good filing systems or electronic equipment—or
even reliable electricity to run their meagre, aid-provided,
computers.
32 Air Force news
The view over bamiyan
I’ve recently partnered with the lead UN agency in bamyan,
UNAMA, and together we’re rolling out basic training in
financial forecasting, operational planning, and office
management (ie. running a meeting, staff management, file
management). After five long months I’m just starting to see
a glimpse of some change coming and this is only through
patience, perseverance, trust, and a long-term view.
I now understand why my deployment is for longer than the
standard cRIb posting. Trust and perseverance are the keys
here. we cannot make the Afghanis implement our methods
and processes but instead we need to discover, map and
understand their methods and then find ways to help them
improve them.
The Afghan people are stoic, proud, feudal and strongly
religious. Their nation that has been invaded by many armies
over past centuries. The invasions were largely because
Afghanistan was seen as a gateway from europe to east and
South east Asia. Also, bamyan was used as a stopping-off
point, a fertile valley in which to rest and recuperate before
troops headed north east into china or India. The likes of
Alexander the Great and Genghis khan both rested their
armies here. of course in 1979 the (then) Soviet Union invaded
and that event has greatly influenced the country too.
As a mentor my role is to persevere to gain trust and build
relationships. It’s a very different experience from my normal
Air Force (and defence Shared Services) role, but a challenge
that I am fully committed to.