War hero Willie Apiata gifts his Victoria Cross medal to Minister for Veterans Chris Penk. Photo: LDR/Diane McCarthy
The RSA is applauding war hero Lance Corporal Willie Apiata's decision to gift his Victoria Cross to Parliament in the hope of changing the definition of a veteran.
New Zealand's most decorated living veteran, Warrant Officer Apiata, was awarded New Zealand's only Victoria Cross for carrying a wounded fellow soldier to safety under heavy fire in Afghanistan 21 years ago.
But this week he gave up that medal to the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Chris Penk, as part of his campaign to have the definition of a veteran changed in legislation.
RSA general manager of support services, Andrew Brown, told Morning Report Apiata's gift was a "very symbolic gesture" that goes to the heart of veterans' concerns.
"The nub of the issue is the definition of a veteran which under the Veteran Support Act 2014 is someone with qualifying operational service...
"I do think it goes to the heart of the passion and the advocacy that Willie does, and others do as well, to try and have elements of the current Act changed to be more benevolent and broadened in their scope."
The Act sets out which people who have served in the New Zealand Military qualify for entitlements, such as pensions and compensation for injuries or illness incurred through service.
Currently, only service people injured while deployed overseas during a war or emergency operation qualify, unless they served before ACC was founded in 1974.
Brown himself served seven operational tours including three to Afghanistan and any current or future needs he had were serviced by Veterans' Affairs, a semi-autonomous element of the New Zealand Defence Force.
"If colleagues of mine didn't serve or only served in New Zealand then they're not entitled to that support.
"They would be offered support through ACC or other means but not through Veterans' Affairs and it does create and inequity."
He said the scope for such entitlements needed to be broadened and he hoped Penk would carry out an analysis.
"There is work to do and... there's challenges with government finances and how all this is calculated but it's not impossible.
"I think the issue is if we had a broadened definition of who is a veteran and maybe that encompasses people who served at Whakaari/White Island or certain aspects of the pandemic."
Brown said it was wrong to think any increase to entitlements would cost in the billions and suggested a staged approach and detailed analysis to calculate them.
He said the interaction with Penk so far had been very positive.
"I know he'll be doing the maximum amount he can to be able to reflect Willie's gesture of gifting that toanga through him to Parliament.
"But there's a lot of work we can do together in the veterans' support space to be able to make it more equitable and more fairer for more people that have served.
"I think that's really important."
Penk was not available for an interview on Morning Report but Labour veterans' affairs spokesperson Greg O'Connor said in a statement the decision by Apiata to hand over his medal was a "powerful and selfless act".
O'Connor said it spoke for so many who had served and that Labour stood ready to work with the minister to reform the veterans' qualifying system.
"Our current system is outdated, unfair, and out-of-step with how our allies treat their service people.
"The law says that those who served after 1974 aren't entitled to the same support as those who served before that date, creating a two-tiered system.
"Meanwhile, in Australia they have a much more consistent veterans' support system."
