From the Minister for Veterans—Winter 2018

Hon Ron Mark, Minister for Veterans

You will have noticed a lot happening in the veteran sector since the previous issue of VA News.

Like you, I was very keen to see Professor Ron Paterson’s report following his review into the operation of the Veterans’ Support Act 2014. I received it in May, and have presented it to Parliament. Professor Paterson did a very thorough job, and I have thanked him personally for this. I was particularly pleased to see how closely he had listened to the veterans who made submissions to him. He has relayed your views to me very clearly in the report.

There’s a lot of follow-up work to be done and this is now under way. I’m sure that the outcome of this review is going to be very positive for New Zealand veterans, as I hoped it would.

Also in May, I had the pleasure of launching a major piece of work developed by Veterans’ Affairs over the past year. This was the new Veteran Rehabilitation Strategy—the first ever such strategy we have had in New Zealand. Veterans’ Affairs worked closely with veteran advocate groups and others while this work was being done.

I want to see more of this sort of collaborative approach. It shows a shared understanding of what is needed, and a shared commitment to making the final product work well— and that gives it a special strength.

I’m looking forward to seeing the difference the strategy will make to the lives of our veterans.

Ron