Skip to main content
  • Get support
    The support you may be able to get depends on your circumstances.
    Currently serving
    While serving, the NZDF will take care of your health and wellbeing issues. If you have qualifying service, we may be able to provide you with home help. Register now with Veterans’ Affairs, and when you need some support, we’ll be ready to help you.
    Ex-serving
    We can provide you with health, rehabilitation and financial support if you have a condition related to your service. We can also provide home help assistance and financial support for you to commemorate your service.
    Family and whānau
    How we can support you, your family and whānau.
    Non-military personnel
    Non-military personnel can have Qualifying Operational Service in certain circumstances.
    A-Z list of services and entitlements
    View all of the services and entitlements available to qualifying veterans and their family and whānau.
  • Remembrance
    We're proud to honour the service of the veteran community.
    Services Cemeteries and plaques and headstones
    We help look after Services Cemeteries. We're also able to contribute towards plaques and headstones.
    Commemorative funding
    There are two types of financial contributions available from the Commemorative Fund.
    Medals and service records
    The NZ Defence Force's Personnel Archives and Medals team ​administer medals and hold most New Zealand military service records.
    ​When someone dies
    We may be able to provide support when someone who had Qualifying Service dies.
    Your family's military history
    Learning more about your family's military history is a great way to honour their service.
    Certificate of Appreciation and Veterans' Pins
    The Certificate of Appreciation and Veteran's Pin recognise operational service.
    NZ Post Stamps
    This series of stamps explores the stories of 6 veterans deployed after 1995. You can purchase the stamps on the NZ Post website.
  • Eligibility
    To be eligible to receive support from us, you — or certain family members — need to have Qualifying Service.
    Check your eligibility
    Check the support, services, or entitlements you may be able to get from us.
    Qualifying Service
    To get support from us you — or certain family members — need to have Qualifying Service.
    Living outside NZ
    You can still get support from us even if you live outside NZ.
    Eligibility criteria for family and dependants
    You may be able to get support if you're the spouse, partner, child or dependant of someone with Qualifying Service.
    Veterans of foreign militaries
    Veterans' Affairs New Zealand was established to support New Zealand veterans.
  • For clients
    We put veterans and our clients at the heart of everything we do.
    If you have a question at any stage, please contact us — we're here to help.
    How we'll work with you
    We'll work with you to help you get the best support available.
    Your treatment card
    Your treatment card helps you get no-cost treatment and medication for your approved conditions.
    Your rights and responsibilities
    ​We want to make sure you have the best possible experience when you deal with us.
    Payments
    Information on payment rates and dates.
    How we make decisions
    We use a number of tools and processes to make decisions. This helps ensure each decision we make is fair and treats our clients consistently.​
    Living outside NZ
    You can still get support from us even if you live outside NZ.
    Other benefits
    You may be able to access a range of discounts and benefits. Not only that, your family may get access too.
    Information about claims
    Information on processing times, how to make a claim, and what happens next.
  • For providers
    Information for providers of services to Veterans' Affairs and our clients.
    Treatment cards and letters
    To help you identify our clients, we issue treatment cards and letters.
    Invoicing us
    How to invoice us to ensure we pay you quickly and correctly.
    Treating our clients
    Information for healthcare professionals providing treatment to our clients.
    Councils and local authorities
    Guidance for councils and local authorities relating to services cemeteries and memorials
    Forms
    Forms for our clients, family and whānau, and our providers.
    Audiologists
    Schedules of fees, invoicing and application instructions, and information for treating hearing needs.
    How military service affects the health of veterans
    Veterans can experience physical and mental health conditions disproportionately compared to the general public. Different NZDF 'operations' may be linked to higher rates of specific conditions. Understanding a veteran's service can help you to understand their health.

Corporate documents

We're accountable to all New Zealanders and work to be as transparent as we can. Find out about our legislation, reports, plans, and briefings to the government.

On this page
Briefings to incoming Ministers The legislation we work under Statement of intent Annual reports Veterans portfolio Cabinet material

Briefings to incoming Ministers

We brief each incoming Minister about their portfolio. The briefing includes information on:

  • the Veterans' Affairs portfolio
  • their legislative responsibilities
  • upcoming work
  • strategic challenges and opportunities
  • our organisation and the work we do.

Current Minister

Briefing to the Incoming Minister for Veterans, presented to the Hon Chris Penk, November 2023 [PDF, 1.4 MB]

Former Ministers

Briefing to the Incoming Minister for Veterans, presented to the Hon Meka Whaitiri, December 2020(external link)(external link)

Briefing to the Incoming Minister for Veterans, presented to the Hon Ron Mark, October 2017(external link)(external link)

The legislation we work under

The Veterans' Support Act 2014 (VSA 2014) defines what support we can provide to those with Qualifying Service and their families and whānau. It guides our decision making and outlines what happens if people disagree with the decisions we make.

View the Veterans' Support Act 2014 in full on the New Zealand legislation website(external link)(external link)

Our policies help our staff to interpret and apply the Act consistently.

Find out more about our policies

Our work is also governed by the:

Statement of intent

All government departments are required by the Public Finance Act 1989 to produce a statement of intent. As part of the NZ Defence Force, we are represented in their statement of intent.

NZ Defence Force's statements of intent on their website(external link)(external link)

Annual reports

The NZ Defence Force reports each year to the House of Representatives on how it has performed over the previous 12 months. As a unit of the NZ Defence Force, the performance of Veterans' Affairs New Zealand is included in these reports.

NZ Defence Force's annual reports on their website(external link)(external link)

Veterans portfolio Cabinet material

Cabinet papers prepared by the Office of the Minister for Veterans since 1 January 2019 and their related minutes are being proactively released.

As Veterans' Affairs is part of the New Zealand Defence Force, these papers are published on their website.

Cabinet material published by the New Zealand Defence Force(external link)(external link)

For more information on the policy see the related Cabinet Office circular:

CO (18) 4 - Proactive Release of Cabinet Material: Updated Requirements(external link)(external link)

Our documents and publications

Eligibility checker
Last Modified: 16 October 2023
Print