Deployment review
Deployment review
We have reviewed previous deployments to determine if they should be considered Qualifying Operational Service.
On this page
The deployment review is closed What is the deployment review? Criteria for the reconsideration The review was open for public submissions for two years What deployments did the review consider? List of all the deployments reviewed List of the changes made as a result of the review You can send an enquiry if you think your deployment qualifiesWhat is the deployment review?
The Veterans' Support Act 2014 (VSA 14) potentially changed the eligibility of some deployments that were previously not considered Qualifying Service.
In July 2015, the Chief of Defence Force requested Veterans' Affairs to begin a review of all deployments since the end of the Second World War.
The aim was to ensure that former and current members of the NZDF who had performed qualifying operational service as defined in the Veterans’ Support Act 2014 are eligible to access its entitlements, supports, and services.
As those who served prior to 1 April 1974 already have access to these entitlements, the review focussed on deployments after 1 April 1974.
Criteria for the reconsideration
In 2015, the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs agreed that to be declared qualifying operational service, the deployment:
- must have been appropriately authorised and be either warlike, hazardous, or non-warlike service as defined in Defence Force Order 3
- must have an overall operational or health threat level of medium or higher in accordance with the Military Threat Assessment (MTA publication 2.0.1.1)
- would be named in the declaration according to geographical location rather than by an operational name, as had been previous practice.
The review was open for public submissions for two years
On 7 January 2019, we invited the public to give submissions on deployments they believed we should look at. Over 50 public submissions were received. Half of the submissions received were for deployments or postings that fell outside the period being reviewed, including service in South East Asia.
Public submissions closed in August 2021.
What deployments did the review consider?
The review was originally dealt with in six tranches (groups):
- Tranche One — Significant deployments without appropriate coverage.
- Tranche Two — Deployments without coverage that may meet the required thresholds.
- Tranche Three — Deployments which have been declined coverage that warrant reconsideration.
- Tranche Four — Deployments which have coverage but required review of period and/or risk.
- Tranche Five — Deployments considered and declined since 2009 that did not meet the criteria at the time, but may do under the VSA 14.
- Tranche Six — Deployments which have been considered and declined since the VSA 14 was introduced that meet the required threshold in a limited way (for example, one mitigated health risk).
A summary of the initial 153 deployments was considered.
In the first tranche, 40 deployments were considered. On advice from Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force (HQ NZDF), 50 deployments were categorised as business as usual (for example, not a deployment according to DFO 3) and were removed from consideration. This left 63 deployments remaining to be considered from the original 153.
The review changed as it progressed. For example, all deployments within a specific geographical area (like the Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) were considered together, even if they were initially allocated to a different tranche. Also, all maritime deployments from other tranches were considered together. The only matter considered with this review was the assessment of risk and its applicability under the Act.
List of all the deployments reviewed
The list contains all of the deployments reviewed and explains the outcome of that review.
|
Country |
Deployment |
Outcome |
|
Bosnia |
United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Bosnia |
NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Bosnia |
Operation Standard and Operation Ford as part of NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Bosnia |
Operation Standard and Operation Ford II as part of European Force (EUFOR) Althea |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Croatia |
United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation (UNCRO) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Croatia |
United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Croatia |
Operation Preview as part of United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Kosovo |
Kosovo Medical Team (KOSMED) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Kosovo |
Kosovo Force (KFOR) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Kosovo |
Operation Koster as part of United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Macedonia |
United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Macedonia |
Macedonia Mine Action Centre |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation PURPLE HAZE |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation ZEPHYR |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation PURPLE HAZE II |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation MINERVA |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation RICOCHET I |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation RICOCHET II |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation TARDIS |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation RATA |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Timor Leste |
East Timor |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste (adding Maritime environment) |
|
Timor Leste |
International Force in East Timor (INTERFET) |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Operation CASTALL |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Operation MAAD |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Operation POWER PLAN |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
UN Mission of Support for East Timor (UNMISET) |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Task Group PORTAL II |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Task Group TOA |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Operation KORU |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Task Group KAIHANGA |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Task Group TOA |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Task Group GYRO |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
Timor Leste |
Task Group MANU |
Covered by new declaration for Timor Leste |
|
USSR |
RNZE and RNZMP |
Covered by new declaration for service at NZ Embassy in Moscow |
|
Kosovo |
Kosovo Aid (KOSAID) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Kosovo |
Operation Koster as part of UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) |
Covered by new declaration for Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
|
Israel |
Operation Farad and/or Operation Scoria |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Kenya & Somalia |
United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) |
Covered by new declaration for the Federal Republic of Somalia |
|
Kenya & Somalia |
United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) |
Covered by new declaration for the Federal Republic of Somalia |
|
Somalia |
Single NZDF Staff Officer deployment |
Covered by new declaration for the Federal Republic of Somalia |
|
Indian Ocean |
Operation ARMILLA Indian Ocean |
Covered by a new declaration for Service aboard HMNZS Canterbury or Waikato while under the operational command of Royal Navy Task Group 321.1 |
|
Cambodia |
United Nations Military Liaison Team (UNMLT) |
Covered by new declaration for the Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
Egypt |
Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) |
Covered by new declaration for the Sinai Peninsula of the Arab Republic of Egypt |
|
Laos |
Operation LAXUS as part of Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXOL) |
Covered by new declaration for the Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
Mozambique |
United Nations Operations in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) |
Covered by new declaration for Mozambique |
|
Mozambique |
United Nations Mozambique Accelerated Demining Programme (MADP) |
Covered by new declaration for Mozambique |
|
Angola |
United Nations Verifications Missions in Angola II (UNAVEM II) |
Covered by new declaration for Angola |
|
Angola |
United Nations Verifications Missions in Angola III (UNAVEM III) |
Covered by new declaration for Angola |
|
Angola |
United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) |
Covered by new declaration for Angola |
|
Angola |
The National Institute for the Removal of Obstacles and Explosive Ordnance in Angola (INAROEE) |
Covered by new declaration for Angola |
|
Cambodia |
UN Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC) |
Covered by new declaration for the Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
Cambodia |
Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) |
Covered by new declaration for the Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
Cambodia |
Mine Clearance Training Unit (MCTU) in Cambodia |
Covered by new declaration for the Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
Cambodia |
UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) |
Covered by new declaration for the Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
Iraq |
United Nations Special Commission in Iraq (UNSCOM) |
Covered by new declaration for the Republic of Iraq |
|
Sierra Leone |
United Nations Observers’ Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) |
Covered by new declaration for the Republic of Sierra Leone |
|
Sierra Leone |
United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) |
Covered by new declaration for the Republic of Sierra Leone |
|
Somalia |
The United Nations Operations in Somalia I (UNOSOM I) |
Covered by new declaration for the Federal Republic of Somalia |
|
Somalia |
The United Nations Operations in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) |
Covered by new declaration for the Federal Republic of Somalia |
|
Somalia |
The United Task Force in Somalia I (UNITAF) |
Covered by new declaration for the Federal Republic of Somalia |
|
Bougainville |
Operation BIG TALK |
Did not meet the required criteria |
|
Solomon Islands |
Operation CORACLE |
Covered by new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation BARBARY |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation CALICO |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation CORVUS |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation CORVUS II |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation BARBARY |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation BARBARY III |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation TIKI IV |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation TIKI VII |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Gulf Region |
Operation TIKI VIII |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Japan |
Operation Japanese Quake |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Libya |
Exercise Longlook |
Personnel did not deploy - deployment did not proceed |
|
Libya |
Operation Limit |
Personnel did not deploy - deployment did not proceed |
|
Philippines |
Operation Typhoon Haiyan |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Samoa |
Operation Cyclone Evan |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Arabian/Persian Gulf |
Multination Interception Force |
Review recommendations under consideration |
|
Vanuatu |
Tropical Cyclone Pam 2014 |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Samoa |
Post tsunami recovery |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Indonesia |
Operation Sumatra Assist in Phuket and Jakarta |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Pakistan |
United Nations Mine Clearance Training Team (UNMCTT) |
Covered by new declaration for Pakistan |
|
Papua New Guinea |
RNZAF crew - Tsunami in Papua New Guinea |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Bougainville |
South Pacific Peacekeeping Force |
No change to existing declaration |
|
Bougainville |
Truce Monitoring Group |
Covered by new declaration for Bougainville |
|
Bougainville |
Peace Monitoring Group |
Covered by new declaration for Bougainville |
|
Gulf Conflict |
US-led Operation Desert Storm |
No change to existing declaration |
|
Iran-Iraq |
United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) |
No change to existing declaration |
|
Kuwait |
Coalition Joint Task Force |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Namibia |
United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia |
Covered by new declaration for Namibia |
|
Rwanda |
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Rwanda |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Bahrain |
Operation TAKAPU |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Bahrain |
Operation HAKU |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Korea |
Operation MONITOR |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Kuwait |
Operation MOHUA |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Qatar |
Operations TAKAPU, HAKU |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
UAE |
Operation TROY |
No change to existing declaration |
|
UAE |
Operation TROY II |
No change to existing declaration |
|
Cambodia |
UN Military Liaison Team Cambodia |
Covered by new declaration for the Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
Jordan |
|
Did not meet the required criteria |
|
Fiji |
During military coup |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
North Atlantic |
Various including hand over sailing of new acquisition |
Limited information available and not progressed |
|
Pre-Gulf War |
RNZAF B727 displaced persons evacuation |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Papua New Guinea |
Multiple occurrences (CALYPSO) |
Removed from review as reclassified as business as usual |
|
Philippines |
Operation Typhoon Haiyan |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Samoa |
Operation Cyclone Evan |
No action taken based on the Military Threat Assessment |
|
Samoa |
Calypso/Norpat multiple occurrences |
Removed from review as reclassified as business as usual |
|
Solomon Islands |
Calypso/Op Render Safe multiple occurrences |
Removed from review as reclassified as business as usual unless when covered under period of new declaration for Solomon Islands |
|
Vanuatu |
Calypso/Norpat |
Removed from review as reclassified as business as usual |
List of the changes made as a result of the review
This list contains all of the deployments where a change was made as a result of the review.
You can send an enquiry if you think your deployment qualifies
The review of deployments is closed.
If you think you were on a deployment or posting that reached the threshold to be considered for a review, you can send an enquiry.
Postal address
Veterans' Affairs
PO Box 5146
Wellington 6011
