AFGHANISTAN MEDALS

This note is not part of the regulations, but is intended to indicate their general effect.

These regulations, which come into force on the 28th day after the date of their notification in the Gazette, provide for the award of the New Zealand General Service Medal (Afghanistan: Secondary Operational Area) for service, rendered on or after 18 December 2001, on land, at sea, or in the air in various locations in the Middle East excluding Afghanistan.

These regulations, together with the New Zealand General Service Medal (Afghanistan: Primary Operational Area) Regulations 2018, replace the New Zealand General Service Medal (Afghanistan) Regulations 2002. The substantive change effected by the replacement regulations is that it will be possible for an eligible person to qualify for, and wear, both the New Zealand General Service Medal (Afghanistan: Primary Operational Area) and the New Zealand General Service Medal (Afghanistan: Secondary Operational Area).

The regulations are made under a Royal Warrant, The New Zealand General Service Medal (SR 2002/226), which instituted the New Zealand General Service Medal to be awarded to members of the New Zealand Defence Force and certain civilians for “services rendered during war, and both warlike and non-warlike (including peacekeeping) operations commenced since 1 January 2000”.

This has always been a bone of contention for Navy in that if you were in receipt of the Afghanistan Secondary Operational Area medal and then qualified for the Afghanistan Primary Operational Area medal, the Secondary medal had to be returned to receive the Primary. These regulations fix this anomaly. If you were effected by this anomaly watch this space as you should be able to reapply for the Afghanistan Secondary if it was handed back.