Wrapping it Up

By Neal Catley

The Minister for Building and Construction has shown leadership and decisiveness by tackling long-standing liability issues in the building sector. Minister Penk deserves credit for moving with purpose and putting forward reforms that will ease pressure on councils, cut red tape, and protect ratepayers. His determination to break through the system’s blockages is precisely the kind of action New Zealanders expect from their Government.

What is now required is for Minister Penk, under his Minister for Veterans portfolio, to bring that same clarity of purpose, alter his gyro compass, and set a course and time to announce when the Government will deliver two long-awaited initiatives: “Who is a New Zealand Veteran” and the “New Zealand Covenant/Kawenata.”  These are not minor policy details; they are fundamental documents that define the Government’s recognition of service and outline its enduring commitment to veterans and their welfare.

For far too long, these vital initiatives have been drifting in slack water, discussed endlessly, yet left without resolution.   Veterans deserve certainty, respect, and a covenant that gives real substance to the nation’s gratitude. To continue with this lackadaisical approach is not good enough. Just as Minister Penk has cut through inertia in the building sector, so too must he now do the same for the veteran community.

Time will tell.