SERVICE: Whakatāne RSA Padre Raharuhi Koia provides a
prayer as Warrant Officer Willie Apiata bestows his Victoria
Cross medal on Minister for Veterans Chris Penk. Photos
Diane McCarthy (Apiata and
Penk)
Minister for Veterans Affairs
Chris Penk left Whakatāne Returned Services Association on
Friday with a precious taonga burning a hole in his
pocket.
New Zealand’s most decorated war hero Willie
Apiata had just gifted him his New Zealand Victoria Cross
medal to carry to Parliament in hope of having the
definition of a veteran changed in legislation.
Apiata
received the medal for carrying a wounded fellow soldier to
safety under heavy fire in Afghanistan in 2004. He has
campaigned for more than five years for changes to the
Veterans Support Act 2014.
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.
“There are many versions of the definition of a
veteran,” Warrant Officer Apiata said. “The definition
that resides within our country at the moment splits us into
two peoples, when we should be one. Because we all gave one
service.
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“Whether we go abroad or we stay at home, we
swear our allegiance to our people that are here, within
Aotearoa and our shores, and to serve under our queen or
king.”
He said he had spoken to previous Ministers
for Veterans’ Affairs, Peeni Henare, Meka Whaitiri and Ron
Mark, about the issue.
“As I said five years ago, I
cannot carry this until we are all under the same
umbrella,” he said of the medal.
Te Puna Ora o
Mātaatua, a Māori health trust, entered into a partnership
with Veterans’ Affairs to extend the reach of support
available to veterans in the Bay of Plenty.
Speaking
at the event, trust executive team member Frances Te Kani
said better Government support for veterans couldn’t come
fast enough as many were running out of
time.
“We’ve heard through research our veterans
are underserviced. We’re having to rob Peter to pay Paul,
to be honest, in our provision of services to our veterans
because they need this.”
Apiata told Penk the
Victoria Cross is a powerful and amazing taonga.
“It
can give us the spirit and wairua to achieve great things.
You are the chief and commander of the veterans and you need
to lead us now, and we will follow you to support you so
that we are all under the same umbrella of what service
really means. Every single one of us.”
Penk, in
turn, made a commitment to take the conversation around
entitlements for veterans “to the next level” in coming
weeks.
“In four weeks it will be Anzac Day and
between now and then I commit to you that we will move that
discussion forward to the next level and I welcome the
engagement that will then flow from that,” he
said.
He thanked Apiata for the gesture he had
made.
“I don’t wish to retain that taonga long. It
weighs very heavily on me. I will return it to you. I
undertake to do that as soon as possible on the basis you
have set out.”
He said the Government had a legal
and a moral obligation to look after those it sent into
harm’s way and acknowledged there was a gap in current
legislation
“The legal obligation at the moment is
defined in terms of the Veteran’s Support Act. As we know
there are layers within that but also there are many who
have served their country who are not recognised and defined
as such.”
He said other countries, including New
Zealand’s Five Eyes partners had a common understanding
that the word veteran applied to anyone who had served
honourably in their nation’s defence force.
“I
would welcome the opportunity to visit again and I have a
solemn duty now to do so. This thing’s going to burn a
hole in my pocket,” he said.
Mr Penk was also
presented with a copy of the report He Aha Taku Oranga
Hauora Mō Apōpō, by its lead investigator, Te Teko RSA
president Hemana Waaka.
The report was commissioned by
the Health Research Council of New Zealand aimed at better
understanding of the health concerns faced by Māori
veterans.
The goal of the report was to address gaps
in health services and explore ways to support the long-term
health of Māori veterans through culturally appropriate
care.
Mr Penk acknowledged there were deficiencies in
the processing of claims.
“It doesn’t represent a
good access to those services at the moment when it takes,
for example, 360 days on average to process claims for
disablement pension. That’s too long.
“It seems to
me some moves have been made in the right direction but I
know that we need to go further and
faster.”
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