MBIE Chief Executive, David Smol
Photo: RNZI / Koro Vaka'uta
The review was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) after TVNZ reported an Air New Zealand unit was carrying out repair work on planes for the Royal Saudi Navy. The review will be led by David Smol, a former chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Air New Zealand later terminated the contract. MFAT cleared itself of wrongdoing, determining the engines were not a controlled good.
However, RNZ later revealed MFAT had approved exports of military goods to forces in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite concerns by the United Nations and rights groups that this equipment may be fuelling Yemen's civil war.