Political Snippets

Korean Memorial

The contribution made by New Zealanders in the Korean War is to be recognised with the construction of a memorial at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Pusan, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced on 8 May 2005.

"Funding of $100,000 (GST exclusive) is included in the 2005/06 budget to construct a simple but substantial memorial at the cemetery," said Helen Clark.

"When I visited Korea in 2003 I asked the New Zealand Ambassador to begin work on a proposal for a suitable memorial, to recognise the contribution of the more than 6,000 New Zealand service men and women who served in Korea.

"There are two existing New Zealand memorials in Korea, but neither are national memorials on suitably prominent sites. The United Nations Memorial Cemetery is the logical place for a new memorial. It is where the New Zealand war dead are buried but there is no New Zealand memorial there.

"The memorial will recognise all New Zealanders who served with the UN forces in Korea between 1950 and 1957. The exact wording will be established during the design phase and will be discussed with veterans," Helen Clark said.

Soldiers Pardoned

On 11 July 2005 Prime Minister Helen Clark and Minister of Defence Mark Burton have announced that they have approved the presentation of war medals, certificates and medallions to the families of the five soldiers who were executed during the First World War for mutiny and desertion and pardoned by Parliament in 2000.

The Pardon for Soldiers of the Great War Act 2000 pardoned the five soldiers of the New Zealand Division, First New Zealand Expeditionary Force, who were executed during the First World War for either mutiny or desertion. The Act started as a Private Members Bill introduced by Mark Peck and was adopted by Government.

The purpose of the Act was ‘to remove so far as practicable, the dishonour that the execution of those five soldiers brought to those soldiers and their families’.

In addition, as part of the Act, the Government was required to take steps to restore the memory of the soldiers.

Research has shown that the five soldiers would have been eligible for medals, certificates and medallions. It is planned to present the awards to the next of kin at ceremonies in Wellington and Canberra later this year.

The five pardoned soldiers and the awards that will be presented to their families are:

Private Jack Braithwaite, born Dunedin 1882: British War Medal, Victory Medal, New Zealand Certificate of Honour.

Private Frank Hughes, born Croydon, Southland 1888: British War Medal, Victory Medal, New Zealand Certificate of Honour.

Private John King, born Victoria, Australia 1885: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, New Zealand Certificate of Honour, ANZAC Commemorative Medallion.

Private Victor Manson Spencer, born Otautau, Southland 1894: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, New Zealand Certificate of Honour, ANZAC Commemorative.

Private John Joseph Sweeney, born Sprent, Tasmania 1879: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, New Zealand Certificate of Honour, ANZAC Commemorative Medallion.

Malayan Medal

Prime Minister Helen Clark announced on 11 July 2005 that she will seek the Queen's approval for eligible New Zealanders who served in Malaya / Malaysia, to wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) medal.

The Malaysian government wishes to award the medal to those who served in Malaya/Malaysia, for a defined period of days, between 31 August 1957 and 31 December 1966. This also includes service in Singapore up to 9 August 1965.

"A submission is being made to the Queen seeking her approval for those who meet the eligibility criteria to accept and wear without restriction the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal (the PJM). It recognises certain service in Malaya, Borneo and Singapore between 1957 and 1966," Helen Clark and Mark Burton said.
"The service which has been deemed eligible by the Malaysian Government for receipt of the PJM medal is substantially broader than the existing New Zealand definition of operational service in Malaysia for which is entitled for New Zealand medallic recognition.

"New Zealand and Malaysia enjoy a long-standing and valuable defence relationship. The offer of the PJM Medal is an acknowledgement that the contribution made by New Zealanders to the security of Malaysia, and indeed the region, is highly valued by the Malaysian government.

"More than 12 000 ex-New Zealand military personnel would be eligible to receive the PJM.

"Non-operational service would also be recognised by the PJM Medal. It is estimated that 700 personnel who did not qualify for a New Zealand medal will be able to receive a PJM for various service in and around Singapore, Borneo and the Malay Pennisula," Helen Clark and Mark Burton said.

Malone Memorial

At a ceremony in Parliament on 8 August 2005, Helen Clark unveiled a plaque to commemorate the life of William Malone, the Commanding Officer of the Wellington Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli who died at Chunuk Bair exactly ninety years ago.

The plaque was unveiled in Parliament's Grand Hall and will be installed in the Beehive once refurbishments are complete.
"For many years, many New Zealanders have felt that William Malone's great bravery in leading his men at Chunuk Bair was not appropriately recognised," Helen Clark said.

"The mounting of this plaque at Parliament in his honour ensures that there is a permanent and proper memorial to Lieutenant Colonel Malone. I acknowledge the work of Hon Jim Anderton to secure proper public recognition for William Malone, which has led to this ceremony today.

"William Malone led the Wellington Infantry Battalion when it seized Chunuk Bair and held it all day against ferocious attacks from Turkish troops. They were exposed to fire and attack on three sides. When other New Zealand units relieved them at the end of that day, some 70 of his battalion’s men remained. Malone lay among the dead, and although he has no known grave, his name is recorded with more than 300 of his men on the New Zealand Memorial to the Missing on Chunuk Bair. Chunuk Bair remains today a very sombre place for New Zealanders.

"William Malone is one of the best-known of the many thousands of New Zealanders who fought at Gallipoli. In part this reflects his forceful character and his outstanding service in the campaign; but it is also due to the survival of his detailed diary and a substantial collection of private letters," Helen Clark said.

Later the same day Helen Clark launched an edition of Malone's Great War diaries and letters, at the National Library.

"This book is an important addition to the New Zealand and international literature on the Gallipoli campaign. It will help New Zealanders learn more about a great New Zealander and gain a better understanding of some of the experiences which have shaped our nation. I congratulate the New Zealand Defence Force, and its historian, John Crawford, and all others involved in this project to make Lieutenant Colonel Malone's diaries and letters available to a wider readership," Helen Clark said.

Special Allowances

Special allowances paid to members of the armed forces in overseas trouble spots will be automatically exempt from income tax under legislation proposed by the government.

Announcing the move on 8 August 2005, Revenue Minister Michael Cullen and Defence Minister Mark Burton said it would be included in the first taxation bill to be introduced into Parliament after the election and will apply from the date of enactment.

“The change will clarify the difference between the tax treatment of ordinary pay and allowances and the special allowances paid to service personnel in recognition of the increased military and environmental dangers associated with operational deployment overseas,” the Ministers said.

To secure tax exemption under the current law and to protect entitlement to income tested benefits such as family assistance and the accommodation supplement, it has been necessary to pay the allowances under the Social Security Act administered by the Ministry of Social Development.

Viet Nam Issues

Prime Minister Helen Clark announced on 11 July 2005 that former State Services Commissioner Michael Wintringham is being appointed to chair a working group established earlier this year to consider issues relating to military service in Viet Nam raised by the Viet Nam veterans and the RSA.

The Prime Minister made the announcement at the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association's (RNZRSA) National Council meeting in Wellington today.

"Following a select committee inquiry and report, the government announced in December 2004 that we accepted that veterans were exposed to a toxic environment during their service in Viet Nam. This was a major step forward. We also offered an apology to Viet Nam veterans for the failure of governments in the past to recognise that the veterans were exposed to a toxic environment during their service in Viet Nam," said Helen Clark.

"Michael Wintringham has agreed to serve as the independent chair of the working group, which also involves government officials, the Royal New Zealand RSA, and the Ex-Viet Nam Services Association.

"Viet Nam veterans will now be consulted by the group, to hear issues, and suggestions for the resolution of them, and to ensure that they are receiving the appropriate pension, health care and medal entitlements.

"It has been agreed by the Working Group that after the consultation process, it would be appropriate for me as Prime Minister to offer the formal apology the government has already agreed to, acknowledging that veterans were exposed to a toxic environment.

"The forum and venue for that would be determined in consultation with the Working Group.

"There has been a great deal of hurt and resentment among Viet Nam veterans about how New Zealand viewed their service, both immediately after, and in the years since, their involvement in the Viet Nam War. Their sense of grievance has been heightened by successive governments’ failure to acknowledge that veterans were exposed to toxic chemicals. I hope this process will help address the grievances which exist thirty years after the end of that war," Helen Clark said.