A New Zealand Army soldier who helped train a cohort of recruits to the stage where they were themselves able to train Ukrainians in the United Kingdom has been rewarded for his efforts with a Defence Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM).

Warrant Officer Second Class (WO2) Murray Macaulay, a 28-year veteran, was awarded the DMSM alongside three other New Zealand Defence Force personnel who earned Chief of Defence Force Commendations for their recent work which went above and beyond what was expected of them.

In December 2020, WO2 Macaulay posted to 1^st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, and volunteered to be the Company Sergeant Major of the Battalion’s Whiskey Company, which had been dis-established since 2013.

His first task was at the Army Training Depot at Waiouru where he had to staff and deliver the recruit regular force course to 150 recruits.

By January 2023, the recruits had become Whiskey Company, and were suitably qualified to deliver basic infantry training to more than 400 recruits from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the United Kingdom.

WO2 Macaulay’s leadership, dedication and commitment to succeed meant he was a deserving recipient of the Defence Meritorious Service Medal, his citation read.

“It came out of the blue. It’s a big honour because they don’t get given out lightly,” WO2 Macaulay said.

He said it also reflected the support he had around him, including from his family.

“It wasn’t just me who did it all. I had a great team of junior non-commissioned officers that helped. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to train those soldiers.”

WO2 grew up in Flaxmere and Napier. He joined the Reserve Force when he was 17 and in 1996, when he was 25, transferred to the Regular Force.

The infantryman served in Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Sinai and Bandah Aceh following the devastating 2004 tsunami, but rates the Ukrainian training deployment as the biggest highlight.

“It was a really good experience to go overseas and train people who wanted to be trained and had a real need for it.

“The Ukrainians were really keen to learn off us as much as we could teach them. They don’t speak English but you can break that language barrier quite easily when they’re motivated to learn.”

While in the UK, WO2 Macaulay re-designed the live firing syllabus for the Ukrainian recruits, which included advanced techniques such as overhead fire – firing live ammunition over the heads of friendly troops – which is rarely conducted in New Zealand.

There was a strict safety process but the experience was valuable for Whiskey Company also, WO2 Macaulay said.

Meanwhile, CDF Commendations have been awarded to Squadron Leader Rob Attrill, Chief Petty Officer Marine Technician (Propulsion) Tamatoa Short and John Harvey.

Squadron Leader Attrill, the executive officer of No. 40 Squadron, was awarded a CDF Commendation for his work in pre-flight planning for evacuation flights out of Noumea following riots in May.

He was also the detachment commander for an out-of-season medical evacuation from Antarctica in June, one of the squadron’s most complicated and hazardous missions.

He provided “exemplary” leadership and crisis management skills during the Noumea evacuation and his meticulous planning, effective coordination, and swift execution ensured the successful extraction of the patient from Antarctica, Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Tony Davies said.

Navy marine propulsion technician Chief Petty Officer Short was awarded his CDF Commendation for his work with the Cook Islands Police from 2019 to 2023, where he was responsible for the Te Kukupa patrol boat, which was replaced with a new version in 2022.

Despite restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, CPO Short was able to organise crew training on the new vessel where his crew attained the highest score of any crew in the replacement programme.

This was on top of his responsibility to mechanically and technically prepare the returning patrol boat to Perth.

“CPO Short went above and beyond the expectations of a technical advisor by not only preparing the returning patrol boat, but also preparing the crew for the commissioning and operation of the new replacement patrol boat,” Air Marshal Davies said.

Mr Harvey, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who spent 37 years in the NZ Army, is now Director Reserve Forces – Youth and Sport.

He was awarded a CDF Commendation for his work in helping the Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki, create the government-directed young serious offender military academy pilot programme.

Oranga Tamariki said Mr Harvey “has been nothing short of formidable and is a first rate ambassador for the New Zealand Defence Force and we are grateful for his support”.