The New Zealand Defence Service Medal (NZDSM)
Date: 
Tuesday, 30 June, 2015

FROM:  Mr Jack Hayes, Adviser Medals Policy

We are well aware that many gunner veterans from Korea and Vietnam and many other Gunners without operational service have not applied for their full medal entitlement. These medals are provided free by the New Zealand Government as a gesture of thanks for their service – wherever that was delivered.

To assist your Reunion attendees obtain their full medal entitlement we attach e copies (as a pdf file) and will mail to your respective mail addresses today some printed hard copy application forms for your members to use. You can use these in any way you see fit, and encourage their widespread transmission through your networks and local RSA Clubs. We have noted these as “Gunner Association 2015” but they can be used by anyone.

We especially encourage applications from those Gunner members and their wives, who do not believe they are entitled to the NZ Defence Service Medal.
In explanation here is some base information on the NZ Defence Service Medal.
The New Zealand Defence Service Medal (NZDSM) was instituted in April 2011 to recognise attested military service since 3 September 1945. The Royal Warrant for the NZDSM allows for one or more clasps to be awarded with the medal.  The number of clasps awarded to an individual will be determined by the type(s) of military service undertaken by the individual. There are four clasps which can be awarded with the NZDSM: REGULAR, TERRITORIAL, C.M.T. and NATIONAL SERVICE.

The normal required qualifying service is:
- REGULAR 3 years Regular Force or completion of your initial period of engagement

- TERRITORIAL 3 efficient training years in the Territorial Forces of New Zealand (Army, Navy or Air Force)

- C.M.T. Completion of the individual's obligations under the Military Training Act 1949 and Amendments

- NATIONAL SERVICE Completion of the individual's obligations under the National Military Service Act 1961 and Amendments

Specifically note that the REGULAR clasp can be awarded for those pers who are brought in for a short term engagement to fill a gap on operational service – we know this was done in Korea with the initial deployments of 16 Field Regt, and later to fill short notice reinforcement gaps in 161 Bty.  

Click here to see Normal Applicatio Form or Posthhumis Application Form.

There are also a range of special case criteria for deserving service of less than 3 years.

For example:
1. Those Second World War personnel who were still serving (in New Zealand or overseas) on or after 3 September 1946 (i.e. 12 months after the end of hostilities) on their ‘For the duration of hostilities’ contract; - this included Nursing and medical staff  bringing home casualties and POW from England, and QM staff packing up Trieste and the base facilities in Egypt. But is also included WW2 veterans who came home but were not discharged due to medical treatment and recuperation meaning they were not discharged until AFTER 3 September 1946. They can be at home in NZ, but not discharged and still qualify.
2. J Force and K Force personnel who completed their obligations for service in Japan or Korea (regardless of the length of time they served as many were discharged within weeks of RTNZ).
3. Service women who were required to resign as a result of pregnancy, marriage to a senior rank, or as a result of any other form of discrimination that would not be accepted now. Any case (handled as private in confidence information) explaining the circumstances will be sympathetically considered. Many women were harshly treated under the conservative views prevalent in the period 1950 to 1975 and would have completed three years of military service had they been allowed to. Many women have received their NZDSM medal through these special cases. The cases have proved generally to be easy to resolve.

Finally, we are also aware that many Gunners served in Korea and Vietnam and received their initial medals but never followed up on the recent (post 2000) medals – mainly the NZ Operational Service Medal (NZOSM), the Korean War Service Medal (an approved Korean Government award), The NZGSM (Vietnam) for service in Vietnam and the NZ Defence Service Medal.

A single form will have all of your outstanding medal entitlements checked and approved as appropriate with the package of any approved awards being couriered to your home address anywhere in the world.

We encourage all living Gunners to use the attached Form 1 to apply for their full medal entitlement. The same applies for the widows and families of deceased gunners – use Form 2 with a simple Statutory Declaration to receive any outstanding medal entitlement that your deceased gunner earned through his or her service. Do not panic if you do not know all the information, fill in as much detail as you can and we should be able to find the rest off the service file.

Despite the backlog in place at present, the team are rapidly catching up now the Centennial is past, and you will get a reasonable quick response. If there are any queries, the medals staff will call you directly.
I am happy to field any queries you have on this,

 

Cheers

Jack Hayes
Adviser Medals Policy
Defence Personnel Executive
Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force
Freyberg House, 2 Aitken St
Private Bag 39997
WELLINGTON 6011
New Zealand
Tel: DDI +64 (4) 498 6827
Email: [email protected]
NZDF Medals Website: http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz