1. A range of New Zealand service in South-East Asia between 1950 and 1975 is currently ineligible for medallic recognition. This paper summarises the service which still needs to be researched and assessed against the current medallic principles of the New Zealand Government.
2. The following list below is not complete. The list will be expanded as more instances of service in South-East Asia are brought to the attention of Personnel Branch. Veterans’ groups should be consulted about additional service, or specific incidents within broad periods of service outlined below, which are to be examined.
3. The date the Vietnam War ended, 1 May 1975, has been chosen as the end date for this review.
4. One focus of this review will be to determine the justification, or lack thereof, for the institution of a new medal which would recognise a wide range of service in South-East Asia between 1950 and 1975. The second focus of this review will be to assess carefully the appropriate medallic entitlement of each specific type of service in South-East Asia which is currently not eligible for medallic recognition.
SERVICE NOT CURRENTLY ELIGIBLE FOR NEW ZEALAND MEDALLIC RECOGNITION TO BE ASSESSED
5. The second focus of this review will be to carefully assess the appropriate medallic entitlement of each specific type of service in South-East Asia which is currently not eligible for medallic recognition. The service to be assessed is listed below. As is noted in paragraph 2, this list is not complete and it therefore will be expanded in the course of the research project.
Naval Service
6. Royal New Zealand Naval service to be assessed includes:
a. Passage of disputed international waters close to Indonesia by RNZN ships - between 1958 and 11 August 1966.
b. Passage of the Taiwan Straits by RNZN ships (1950 to 1975).
c. Naval service off the Malay Peninsula between 1 August 1960 and 16 August 1964.
d. Naval service off the coast of north Borneo between 24 December 1962 and 11 August 1966, which did not meet the strict British criteria for the General Service Medal with clasp “Borneo”.
e. Naval service in the inland waterways and off the coast of north Borneo in HMNZS Rotoiti 1958-59: anti-piracy patrols, support efforts towards anti-Communist Terrorist activities in Sarawak; 45 days in total probably.
Land Service
7. New Zealand Army service to be assessed includes:
a. Land service on the Malay Peninsula or in Singapore after 12 June 1965.
b. 1RNZIR personnel temporarily attached to RAAF Butterworth on Airfield Defence duties 1970 and 1971.
c. Exercise ‘Rajata’ - March 1961 - ‘a SEATO exercise held in Thailand’ - at/near Ubon.
d. Exercise ‘Dhanarajata’ - May 1963 to July 1963 - lasted about 8 weeks - ‘the largest South-East Asian Treaty Organisation (SEATO) exercise to be held in the area to that date.’ The Exercise was held in Thailand.
Air Service
8. Royal New Zealand Air Force service to be assessed includes:
a. Air service on or over the Malay Peninsula or in or over Singapore after 12 June 1965.
b. the evacuation by RNZAF “mercy flight” of British Embassy staff and families from Udorn in northern Thailand to Bangkok in December 1960.
c. Exercise Vanguard I - 1963 - held in combination with the major SEATO Exercise Dhanarajata.
d. Exercise Vanguard X - Feb to March 1969 - held in Malaysia and Singapore.
e. Exercise Bersatu Padu - June 1970 - held in Malaysia and Singapore.
f. various flights into Thailand in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Bristol Freighters of 41 Squadron.
9. This review will not re-examine service which has already been thoroughly reviewed by the New Zealand Defence Force. Such service includes:
a. Land service on the Malay Peninsula between 1 August 1960 and 16 August 1964, including service which is ineligible for the NZGSM (Malaya 1960-64) because it was outside the four northern border provinces of Perlis, Kedah, Perak and Kelantan.
b. Naval service off Malaya between 1948 and 31 July 1960 (during the Malayan Emergency).
c. Land, air and sea service in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
10. The activities undertaken at Government behest by New Zealand civilians in South-East Asia, during the review period, are outside the scope of the review. However, it should be noted that some such civilians were accredited to the New Zealand military forces, while others served overseas at the direction of External Affairs / Foreign Affairs.
Assistant Director Medals Policy
Personnel Branch
HQ NZDF
Wellington
28 November 2005
p.
1 July 2011
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