3 minute read
Minister's Message — Hello Everyone
In these last weeks of 2024, our minds are turning to Christmas celebrations and a long summer break after a year which hasn’t always been easy. Let’s hope for lots of sunshine and relaxed days in the coming months, and time to spend with families and friends.
As the year has drawn to a close, there have been some losses to the veteran community. In November we saw the end of an era with the passing of the last member of the legendary 28 Māori Battalion, Tā Bom Gillies. I was honoured to attend his tangi and I saw there the respect and love in which he was held by so many. He and his comrades will never be forgotten. Their stories have been woven into the history of our country.
Also in November, the veteran community lost a good friend and staunch advocate, when Bernadine Mackenzie retired from her role as Head of Veterans’ Affairs. For the past eight years, Bernadine has focused her team in Veterans' Affairs on putting the veteran first in all that they do – and her approachable style and dedication to making life better for those who have served our country have won her friends across New Zealand and beyond. Thank you Bernadine for all you have done.
There have been good things this past year as well. The Prime Minister announced in October that the Anzac Day Act is going to be changed and updated so that it recognises a broader group of veterans, all those who have served us overseas in wars and warlike situations. This reminds us all how much we owe to the younger cohort of contemporary veterans who have served and continue to serve, as well as to those who went before them.
And in June the Budget allocated $4 million over the next four years so that Veterans’ Affairs could increase resources to help clear the backlog of applications that has been building up from veterans seeking support. It won’t be a quick or easy fix, but work is under way now and I am confident that things will look a lot better in 2025.
I thank you all for your service in the past, and the continuing camaraderie and practical support that you offer to each other, as individuals and as members of veteran organisations. I wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and a good new year to come in 2025.
