Introduction
Background
In 2007 the Government tasked the Law Commission with reviewing the War Pensions Act 1954 with the intent to bring new legislation before Parliament in 2009. This began a comprehensive review of the legislation which included consultation with relevant organisations such as the Returned and Services Association (RSA), and other Commonwealth nations such as Australian, Canada, and the UK.
In July, 2008, the Law Commission published Toward a New Veterans’ Entitlements Scheme: A Discussion Paper on a Review of the War Pensions Act 1954. The paper set forward possible approaches to a new system of veterans’ entitlements and invited any individual or organisation to provide feedback on the document, and the 94 specific questions that were contained within it.
NZDF Consultation
Realising the significance of the opportunity to shape legislation that would affect the future of all NZDF members, CDF directed Personnel Branch to collect the views of currently serving members regarding the issues and questions set forth in the discussion paper.
The War Pensions Review Project Team initiated a consultation process which solicited information from three distinct groups:
- Subject Matter Experts from Legal, Medical, Veterans Affairs and Risk Management
- Command views from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Joint Force Headquarters
- Direct engagement with serving personnel, through focus groups (240 participants) and an online survey (1300 responses)
The NZDF’s consolidated response to the Law Commission’s discussion paper was submitted to the Ministers of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs by CDF on 19 December 2008. On 10 March 2009, the NZDF’s response was approved by the Ministers and sent to the Law Commission for official consideration.
This Document
The NZDF invited all current and former Service members, and their family members, to provide their views on the future of veterans’ entitlements through an online survey on the NZDF Intranet and Internet sites from 28 October – 16 November 2008. Over 1,300 people participated, 1,029 of which were currently-serving members of New Zealand’s Armed Forces.
The following pages provide the statistical data collected from the responses of the 1,029 currently serving members, with selected comments that represent the diverse range of opinions and recommendations provided. Demographic information has not been included to protect the privacy of respondents.
The views and opinions expressed in this document are that of the individual, and not representative of the official views of the NZDF. The information gathered through the online survey informed NZDF’s response to the Law Commission, but did not entirely determine it. Rather, it served as one of many sources that were considered during the consultation process.
Inquiries
If you have questions regarding the data contained in this document, please direct them through our contact form to Prahm Nation or Diana McKissock.
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