Moore stand on Dakota sale now ‘vindicated’

Press, 12 March 1985, Page 8

Moore stand on Dakota sale now ‘vindicated’

Parliamentary reporter Five former Royal New Zealand Air Force Dakotas are now flying in the South African Air Force, according to a New Zealand aviation magazine “Wings." The Minister of Overseas Trade and Marketing, Mr Moore, said this information vindicated a stand he had taken in November-Decem-ber, 1978, when he had received information these DC3s would end up in Rhodesia and then South Africa. He had asked the National Government of the day to take action, and had been roundly vilified by the National politicians and news media for scaremongering. “I was told this could not happen and was not true,” Mr Moore said. “I now feel vindicated for the stand I took.” The matter would now be referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see what could be done to see such a

thing did not happen again. “This was an example of the last Government turning a blind eye to the spirit of Gleneagles, and also to United Nations obligations on the sale of items that could be useful for defence purposes,” he said. The Douglas Dakotas were sold as surplus in 1978 and delivered to Rand airport in South Africa in 1981 by ferry crews believing they . were for airline service, according to “Wings.” Confirmation of the final destination of the old transport aircraft came from the British aviation historical society magazine “Air Britain,” “Wings" said in its latest edition. The five aircraft were bought by a British aircraft broker, Brian Neeley, from the Government Stores Board in 1978 and were destined for Ghana. Delivery was halted after claims by Mr Moore that their destination was instead Rhodesia.