AGAINST ALL ODDS!
By Neal Catley
Since November 2020 have you ever wondered why New Zealand military veteran
correspondence to the various government Ministers for Veterans typically found
its way to File 13 – then read ex Minister Ron Mark’s recent ‘Facebook Page’ on
matters veterans.
Quote.
2 April at 00:27 ·
I spoke to Willie about this at 10 am yesterday. As always Willie was exceedingly
humble and hopeful that his VC would weigh heavy on the Minister’s mind and
give cause for him and the National side of the coalition government to change
their stance. I am less hopeful of that but more hopeful that once again it will be
Winston Peters and New Zealand First who will lean in hard on what is a core
issue for their party.
For a better understanding, look for the TOR for the review I commissioned
Chairman Leith Comer and the Veterans Advisory Board to complete and please
read the report they gave me and my response to its recommendations which I
took to cabinet.
The bottom line is that Grant Robertson didn’t want to do it because of the price
tag ($144 million) so he pushed back and all the Labour ministers simply fell in
line behind him. Sadly once NZ First was booted out of parliament in 2020,
Labour dropped all work being done by the Veterans Advisory Board, the reports
and their recommendations essentially killing it.
What is disappointing is that having been put back into office by NZ First and
ACT in 2022, National appears to now be behaving like Labour choosing to stick
to the stance it took when it was last in government between 2008 & 2017 that
being to NOT support a change to the definition of a Veteran.
This and the Kawenata are simply about doing what is right for our Military
personnel. They being the one group of state employees who do not have a Union
to protect their pay and conditions of service, to lobby for improvements to those
conditions, and who do not have the right to strike when they feel they are being
abused by their employer. Unlike teachers, nurses, the Police or any other public
servant for that matter.
Unquote.
AGAINST ALL ODDS!
It is generally accepted that public trust in government is built on transparency,
fairness, and an unwavering commitment to the public good. From Ron Mark’s
Facebook Page, we now know that in 2020, the Minister of Finance [Grant
Robertson] made the controversial decision to halt the then Minister for Veterans
[Ron Mark] recommendation to the government to approve $144 million, needed to
support New Zealand military veterans. This funding was critical, earmarked for
improving healthcare, housing, and mental health services for those who had
served New Zealand. Various veterans’ organisations expressed disappointment.
arguing that this move not only neglected their sacrifices but actively eroded the
trust between the government and its servicemen and women. The Minister of
Finance, however, defended his decision as a “necessary reallocation of
resources” caused by the COVID pandemic.
Thinking and acting positively, the pressing challenge to the Coalition
government is to steady the New Zealand military veteran ship and quickly right
the wrong of the last Labour government before the general election in late 2026.