Allrounder wins NZDF Civilian of the Year award
One of the key people who pulled the right strings to ensure the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) had enough stocks of personal protective equipment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been named Civilian of the Year.
12 November, 2021
Tamara Hamiora is the Health Inventory Manager for the Defence Equipment Management Organisation (DEMO) and responsible for leading the provision of the health inventory and consumables for domestic and off-shore NZDF activities.
This involves identifying and working with suppliers and vendors to determine the suitability and availability of products, purchasing and maintaining required inventory stockholdings for the NZDF, conducting inventory analysis, maintaining the master data for health equipment and consumables, and leading and developing her team.
Tamara effectively adapted and led her team during 2020 under the most challenging of supply chain circumstances to meet NZDF demand for PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her commitment and performance throughout the 2020 lockdowns and various alert levels resulted in her receiving a commendation in November 2020, and she repeated this effort during the 2021 lockdowns and alert levels.
Her personal skills ensure she develops highly effective relationships throughout the command chain and she has an excellent ability to listen to others and communicate, her citation said.
She will experiment or try new ways of doing things in a highly risk-aware manner and she will not shy away from risk of failure. This enables different and highly innovative ways of working in order for her and her team to both learn and be more effective.
Tamara Hamiora has been announced as 2021 NZDF Civilian of the Year
The strength of Joint Defence Services, which includes DEMO, was in the dedication of the civilians who support the country every day and who embodied the NZDF’s core values and purpose, said Brigadier Rob Krushka, Chief of Defence Joint Services.
“Tamara’s performance directly reflects the Joint Defence Services purpose as an integrated ‘system of systems’ dedicated to enabling and sustaining our people, and the outputs they deliver as a Force for New Zealand,” ~ Brigadier Rob Krushka, Chief of Defence Joint Services
It was also noted Tamara was a positive and proactive member of the DEMO Culture and Values Group, positively contributes and follows through by organising and supporting many of the Culture Group’s initiatives – such as DEMO’s annual foodbank donation activity, and the conduct of intra and inter-team activities.
Additionally, following the unexpected death of a team member early in 2021, she stepped up to be the DEMO liaison representative between the NZDF and the family.
A person with more experience and familiarity with NZDF protocols and support services normally fulfils the family liaison role. However, her effort in liaising between the NZDF and the family was conducted in a manner that was professional and compassionate, and reflected her sound leadership.