Ms Collins meets residents, staff, board members and visitors during a recent visit to the Montecillo Veterans' Home & Hospital.

Minister proud to represent veterans and promises to listen

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Judith Collins tells RSA Review of her pride in representing veterans and her policy to provide greater recognition and assistance to veterans.

Recently I was privileged to be invited to address the last reunion of the legendary Long Range Desert Group.

Made up mostly of tough and resourceful Kiwis, the unit undertook covert missions far behind enemy lines in North Africa, Italy and Greece during the Second World War.

At its height, 400 New Zealanders were part of the LRDG. Today, just a handful of these brave men survive.

I had the opportunity to talk to three members of the unit - Ian Judge, Tom Ritchie and Norm Gedye. Despite being frail with age, I could see within each of them a spirit that has never dimmed.

A spirit of duty, loyalty, honour, courage and purpose.

As Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, it fills me with pride to be able to represent these men and women, all those who have served their country in the armed services.

I have a deep admiration and respect for our veterans. I was formerly an honorary member of the Royal New Zealand Naval Association (Counties Branch) and an Associate member of the Papakura, RNZRSA. I was awarded the Ex-Vietnam Services Association Pin in 2004.

I am delighted to be part of a government that recognises veterans’ special status and believes that New Zealand can and should do more to honour their contribution to peace, security and democracy.

Ms Collins rides in a World War II Jeep during the Long Range Desert Group's last Papakura parade in December 2008. LRDG veterans follow in similar vehicles. Picture NZDF.

Our policy is designed to provide greater recognition and assistance to veterans. We feel that those who have served New Zealand shouldn’t have to fight for the services and support they need to live in dignity and good health.

It was this sense of fairness that prompted me to take the plight of Vietnam veterans suffering the effects of Agent Orange to Parliament's Health Select Committee in 2003, and campaign successfully to force an inquiry into the effect of the defoliant on war veterans.

We pressured the Labour government into establishing the Joint Working Group comprising members of the Crown, RNZRSA and Ex-Vietnam Services Association to recommend a suitable compensation package.

The result was the negotiation of a $30 million package that included assistance for five prescribed medical conditions association with Agent Orange. To date 78 payments with a total value of $2.775 million have been made to veterans and their families.

While a step in the right direction, it was clear that the number of potential Agent Orange cases would warrant a broader policy approach.

This government agrees with the recommendations of the inquiry that veterans should have free annual medical assessments. We also support the Joint Working Group’s commitment to an ongoing review of international research into the effects of Agent Orange.

We were motivated to help Vietnam veterans by our sense of fairness. What has been truly gratifying has been the number of New Zealanders who agreed with us that veterans deserved better.

We are witnessing a sea change in New Zealand. Acknowledgement of the contribution that veterans have made to our society is now deeply entrenched in our culture.

Each ANZAC day thousands of New Zealanders converge on Gallipoli to pay their respects to those whose lives were lost in that terrible battle. Back home, vast crowds of young and old rise before dawn and meet at cenotaphs and memorials to remember and to honour the fallen.

Organisations such as the RNZRSA have played an important role in not only keeping the memory alive, but in effectively representing the interests of their members.

I look forward to regular dialogue with the RNZRSA. As an organisation that serves veterans at the grassroots level, its insights will be invaluable for me as Minister.

	Minister of Veterans' Affairs Judith Collins.

The next three years will be busy as we implement a number of changes to veterans’ policy.

We will be extending eligibility for the Veterans’ Gold Card to all veterans with qualifying operational service, and look at ways to enhance the benefits available to holders of the card.

We will be reviewing the War Pensions Act to simplify the system. We will work closely with the RNZRSA to ensure any changes are fair and equitable, and that no veterans are disadvantaged.

Veterans’ homes provide essential care and support for our oldest veterans, and they deserve our ongoing support. We will be allocating an additional $200,000 to each of three dedicated homes each year.

An increase in the allowance to holders of gallantry decorations is long overdue. We will increase the allowance from $9.30 a week to $30 a week, and include awards made since 1999. In addition, we will remove the requirement for recipients to be receiving a War Disablement Pension.

There are some difficult issues that must be resolved.

It is important that the views of veterans are heard by government. In recent years there has been some concern that Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) is not responsive enough to the needs of veterans.

A memorandum of understanding between the Joint Working Group, the RNZRSA and EVSA established a review of VANZ, and recommended that it become an operational unit of the New Zealand Defence Force. The process will take some time to happen, but the government is committed to ensuring the wishes of veterans as expressed in the memorandum are upheld.

VANZ is making progress in some important areas. Earlier this month (February) I was delighted to launch the operations of a dedicated case management team at the VANZ office in Hamilton.

The case management team will provide a one-stop service for VANZ services to veterans and also help them access services provided by other government departments and service providers.

In addition to the case management function, the VANZ office at Hamilton will have an accounts payable section, administrative support to pension claims panels, a mail and file registry for the management of correspondence with veterans and external service providers (primarily medical service providers), a National Enquiry Centre, and will provide training and quality assurance.

Veterans will be assigned a case manager who will help them through the pension claims process, ensure they receive all services they are entitled to and act as a link between veterans and service providers. Ensuring veterans are better informed and better able to access services are, I believe, key functions of VANZ.

To serve as Veterans’ Affairs Minister will be an honour. Getting to know ex-service people from all branches of the military and from all corners of New Zealand will without a doubt be a highlight of my time in Parliament.

In the months and years ahead, I will be taking every opportunity to visit veterans and attend events around the country. I’ll be asking for thoughts and suggestions on what we can do better.

Veterans can be assured that I will be a Minister that listens to their conc admires their courage and honours their service.