Year of the Veteran
Veterans' AffairsMayor Clive Geddes, John Campbell – National President Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association, Distinguished Veterans, ex-Service personnel, ladies and gentlemen.
Good morning and thank you for joining me here in Queenstown today.
The Government has designated 2006 as the Year of the Veteran. This special year will provide all New Zealanders with an opportunity to
Earlier this year, New Zealanders commemorated the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.
While World War II was the last time that New Zealand has been in a state of war per se, our service personnel have since served in subsequent emergencies and peacekeeping operations including Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, Bosnia, East Timor and Afghanistan.
We are fortunate, therefore, in that the majority of New Zealanders today have only ever known peace.
Indeed, the peace and the freedom that we, as New Zealanders, enjoy, has risen from the service and sacrifice of our veterans.
This Government is committed to honouring and supporting veterans, to preserving their legacy and to passing on to future generations, the lessons they learned.
That is why we are designating 2006 as “The Year of the Veteran”.
In the past five years, this Government has put in place a suite of support for our veterans and their families. We have also commemorated a number of significant military anniversaries. We remain committed to continuing that support but there will be additional activities for the “The Year of the Veteran”.
As Minister of Veterans Affairs, I will chair a committee that will consider some nation-wide activities and initiatives.
More importantly, there will be funding for community-based projects which will provide for individual communities to recognise and honour their servicemen and women and at the same time to educate our younger people about the special contribution our veterans made for them.
To assist local communities in realising their plans for projects and events, the Government has established a "Year of the Veteran Community Grants Fund".
Grants from that Fund will be available to local authorities, ex-Service groups and other organisations such as schools and local museums that seek support for their projects to recognise and support our veterans.
These local projects might include the refurbishment and rededication of local war memorials and honour rolls; local veterans' "appreciation days", the collection of veterans' stories, local concerts, exhibitions and other events in local communities to honour veterans in their communities.
In other words, we want the Year of the Veteran to have a local focus; and that is why we are here today in Queenstown and not in Wellington or Auckland. When people think of Queenstown, they think of a beautiful holiday destination of pleasure and fun.
And, many will have walked along this waterfront, but few will have stopped at this memorial to contemplate the price of the very freedom they are enjoying.
This memorial, like so many across this country, in every town, and in every community, has many pairs of names; presumably they are of the same family, brothers, uncles, cousins, and sons. And, so we must also remember the sacrifice of New Zealand families too.
While the national launch of the “The Year of the Veteran” will occur in Wellington in February, I wanted to take this opportunity to go local and to bring the attention of the Year of the Veteran back to the communities.
Our veterans came from all over New Zealand, from Bluff to Kaitaia, from small central Otago towns, isolated parts of the East Coast, and from all over our great nation.
2006 will also mark the 90th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association.
The RNZRSA is a key organisation in caring for the welfare of our servicemen and women, past and present.
The RSA’s 90th birthday will be a key feature of this significant year.
It’s time for us to recognise the massive contribution veterans made in our communities and townships as well as our cities and indeed to New Zealand's free and democratic society.
I hope that the designation of 2006 as the Year of the Veteran will encourage even greater support in our local communities for our veterans.
By simply saying thanks, we will show our veterans that they are valued.