New medal for Asian Tsunami relief efforts

  • Helen Clark
Prime Minister

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Defence Minister Phil Goff announced a new medal for New Zealanders who served in areas affected by the Boxing Day tsunami.

Helen Clark said the New Zealand Special Service Medal (NZSSM Asian Tsunami) will be awarded to New Zealanders involved in rescue, relief, rehabilitation efforts, and associated activities in the areas devastated by the earthquake and resulting tsunami on December 26, 2004.

"The NZSSM (Asian Tsunami) recognises the special service of those New Zealanders who undertook often harrowing tasks in dangerous conditions," Helen Clark said.

"The new medal will also recognise work related to the location of missing New Zealanders, the identification of victims, and a variety of other forms of service.

"The length of qualifying service for the medal will be at least 7 days between 26 December 2004 and 28 February 2005, or at least 14 days between 26 December 2004 and 26 December 2005.

"New Zealanders were involved in relief efforts in Banda Aceh (Indonesia), Phuket (Thailand), Galle (Sri Lanka), Male (The Maldives), and the Andaman Islands.

“Today the NZ ambassador to Bangkok, Peter Rider, will attend commemorations in Phuket, and the deputy NZ ambassador in Jakarta, David Strachan, will attend ceremonies in Banda Aceh, Indonesia."

Defence Minister Phil Goff said that an initial 163 people, who had served in a devastated area in the first two months after the disaster, had been identified as eligible for the medal.

They include personnel from the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and non-governmental organisations.

Other New Zealanders who meet the eligibility criteria will be awarded the NZSSM (Asian Tsunami) during 2006, once applications from organisations and individuals are received and approved by the New Zealand Defence Force, who will administer the medal.

Further details on the eligibility criteria, and an application form, will be available from the New Zealand Defence Force Medals website: http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/news

Application forms should be sent to: Assistant Director Medals Policy, Personnel Branch, Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force, Private Bag, Wellington, New Zealand.

Images of the NZSSM (Asian Tsunami) are attached and can also be found at:
http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/downloads/

Initial List of 163 New Zealanders Eligible for the NZSSM (Asian Tsunami)

New Zealand Defence Force (location of service: Banda Aceh, Indonesia)

Lance Corporal Jason Affleck
Corporal Troy Ambler
Lance Corporal Joshua Anderson
Captain Ian Barrett
Lance Corporal Kurt Brighouse
Lance Corporal Daniel Brown
Brigadier Anne Campbell
Lance Corporal Quentin Carmont
Lieutenant Hayley Claridge
Captain Jacqueline Claridge
Lance Corporal James Collins
Able Medic Philippa Duke
Private Norman Ekdahl
Staff Sergeant Shelley Eriksson
Captain Shaun Fitzell
Lance Corporal Peter Fitzwater
Sergeant Shane Foster
Able Medic Joanna Fraser
Captain Rosemary Fraser
Lance Corporal Carley Frederickson
Major Bryn Gradwell
Private Samuel Gray
Private Kynan Griffiths
Corporal Ian Higgison
Trooper Lyall Jellyman
Corporal Phillip Johnston
Corporal Daiman Katu
Corporal Murray MacAulay
Staff Sergeant Linda Manuel
Major Jon Martin
Lance Corporal Kane McCollum
Acting Sergeant Shaun McLaughlin
Private Zane Miller
Lance Corporal Michelle Moroney
Major Paul Nealis
Private Scott Ogden
Captain Georgina Parata-Turvey
Chaplain Donald Parker
Trooper Simon Paton
Major Charmaine Pene
Private Richard Pfister
Private Thomas Pihema
Leading Medic Amy Plaisted
Acting Sergeant Lisa Pomana
Private Gareth Pratt
Colonel Mason Ramsay
Captain Mark Richards
Acting Captain Hayden Ricketts
Private Simon Ritson
Captain Grant Smith
Chief Petty Officer Medic Gregory Staines
Staff Sergeant Noel Swift
Lance Corporal Paul Tam
Acting Lance Corporal Luke Tamatea
Captain Charmaine Tate
Private Brent Thornton
Major Lee Turner
Private Matias Ureta
Private Stephen Van Deursen
Lance Corporal Cheryl Ward
Lance Corporal Rua Watson
Major Richard Weston
Lieutenant Colonel Evan Williams
Lance Corporal Craig Wisnewski

New Zealand Police (location of service: Phuket, Thailand)

Julian Atkins
Constable Mark Beddek
Constable Jonathon Bishop
Senior Constable Bruce Bogun
Constable Mark Bond
Constable Keith Bunting
Detective Inspector Michael Bush
Constable Merrin Dancy
Sergeant Brock Davis
Constable Paul Donaldson
Sergeant Dene Duthie
Inspector John Fairley
Steven Gibson
Senior Constable Christopher Gladstone
Senior Sergeant Ronald Greatorex
Constable Alan Hendrickson
Sergeant Joanne Holden
Senior Constable David Hooker
Mark Humphries
Sergeant Bruce Johnston
Detective Sergeant Mark Kaveney
Detective Senior Sergeant Russell Le Prou
Senior Sergeant Geoffrey Logan
Constable Brett Main
Superintendent Sandra Manderson
Sergeant Anthony Matheson
Superintendent Hamish McCardle
Constable John McGrail
Inspector Craig McKay
Helen McLeod
Detective Sergeant Richard McPhail
Superintendent Grant Nicholls
Constable Mark Oliver
Detective Sarn Paroli
Constable James Patrick
Detective Kelvin Penney
Senior Sergeant John Price
Senior Constable Barry Shepherd
Constable Philip Simmonds
Constable David Stone
Sergeant Peter Summerfield
Sergeant Anthony Tully
John Turner
Constable Stephen Watts
Sergeant Glenn Williams
Constable Karl Wilson
Senior Sergeant Michael Wright

New Zealand civilians who operated with the New Zealand Police Disaster Victim Identification teams in Phuket, Thailand

David Antunovic
Gordon Belich
Warren Bell
Ian de Terte
Julius Keiser
Zafer Khouri
Wayne Laing
Vivienne Levy
Robert Peters
Geoffrey Ruthe
Rodney Smith
Simon Stables
Hugh Trengrove
Jane Vuletic

New Zealand Red Cross

Douglas Clark(location of service: Galle, Sri Lanka)
Colleen Clarke(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)
Robert McEwan(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)
Marion Picken(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)
Jerry Talbot(location of service: Male, The Maldives)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (location of service: Phuket, Thailand)

Brett Bartos
Sarah Craig
Kevin Kay
Graeme McGuire
Jeremy Palmer
Lyndal Walker

Oxfam New Zealand

Les Collins(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)
Kate Medlicott(location of service: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka)
Dave Neru(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)
Richard Weaver(location of service: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka)

Save The Children, Sri Lanka

Tracey Edginton(location of service: southern Sri Lanka)

World Vision New Zealand

Brett Campbell(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)
Sriya Fernandez(location of service: Ampara, Sri Lanka)
Heather MacLeod(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)
Judy Moore(location of service: southern India)
Alex Snary(location of service: the Andaman Islands)
Aaron Ward(location of service: Aceh Province, Indonesia)

New Zealand media

Charlotte Glennie(location of service: Phuket and Banda Aceh)