This page is about a bill. That means that it's not the law yet, but some people want it to be the law. It could change quickly, and some of the information is just a draft.

Veterans’ Recognition Bill

Preliminary provisions

4: Interpretation

You could also call this:

"What words mean in the Veterans' Recognition Bill"

Illustration for Veterans’ Recognition Bill

This bill is proposing some new rules, and it needs to explain what some words mean. When you read this bill, the words have specific meanings, like the "New Zealand Defence Service Medal" which is a medal given to people for their service. The bill also explains what "regular forces" and "territorial forces" mean, which are defined in the Defence Act 1990.

You might wonder what a "veteran" is, and this bill says it is someone who used to be in the regular or territorial forces, but is not anymore. To be called a veteran, you need to have been given a special medal, like the New Zealand Defence Service Medal, or another medal for being brave or doing a great job. This bill is trying to make it clear what words mean so everyone understands the new rules.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on 17 August 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1467992.

Topics:

Government and voting > Government departments

3: Purpose, or

"This law aims to respect and thank veterans for their military service."

5: Act does not create rights or obligations, or

"This law does not give you new rights or rules that you can use in court."

Part 1Preliminary provisions

4Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
New Zealand Defence Service Medal means the medal awarded under the Royal Warrant (SR 2011/88) dated 6 April 2011 and the New Zealand Defence Service Medal Regulations 2011
regular forces has the meaning given in section 2(1) of the Defence Act 1990
territorial forces has the meaning given in section 2(1) of the Defence Act 1990
veteran means—
1. a person who has served, but is not currently serving, as a member of the regular forces or the territorial forces and who has been awarded or whose service makes them eligible for the New Zealand Defence Service Medal; or
2. a person who has served, but is not currently serving, as a member of the regular forces or the territorial forces and who has been awarded, in relation to their service,—
  1. a campaign medal, whether or not the campaign medal relates to a deployment that would constitute qualifying operational service as defined in section 8(2) of the Veterans’ Support Act 2014; or
  2. an honour or a decoration awarded through the New Zealand Royal Honours system; or
  3. a medal for bravery or excellence awarded by the New Zealand Government.