New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal Bill

New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal Bill EXPLANATORY NOTE GENERAL POLICY STATEMENT Service is one of the highest values this country can recognise. Many Kiwis serve New Zealand on operations directed by the Government of the day, but are not formally recognised in the same way our allies in Australia recognise service in emergencies and national disasters. This Bill institutes a new medal to recognise the service many Kiwis give in trying and challenging contexts. They may not be in danger from a human enemy, but there are often very real physical and psychological risks that have a lasting, but often invisible, impact. This Bill says that any Government that sends Kiwis into harm’s way values that service, recognises it, and is grateful. CLAUSE BY CLAUSE ANALYSIS Clause 1 is the Title clause. Clause 2 is the commencement clause, which provides for this Bill to come into force on the day after Royal assent. PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS Clause 3 is the purpose clause. It states that the purpose of the Bill is to provide for a new service medal, the New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal, to recognise service undertaken in the context of humanitarian aid or disaster relief activities on behalf of New Zealand. Clause 4 defines terms used in the Bill. Clause 5 and the Schedule relate to transitional matters. Clause 6 states that the Bill does not affect the prerogative powers of the Sovereign in respect of the regulation of the eligibility and other matters delegated by Royal Warrant in relation to Royal Honours. Clause 7 provides that the Bill, once enacted, will bind the Crown. NEW ZEALAND HUMANITARIAN AID AND DISASTER RELIEF MEDAL Clause 8 establishes a medal designated the New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal. Clause 9 provides for the design of the medal and its associated clasps. Clause 10 states that the Minister confers the medal, on the advice of the NZHADRM Committee. Clause 11 describes who is eligible to receive the medal. Clause 12 provides that the Minister may cancel or annul the conferral of the medal, or restore a medal that has been cancelled or annulled. NZHADRM COMMITTEE Clause 13 establishes the NZHADRM Committee. Clause 14 sets out the functions of the NZHADRM Committee, which include determining the design of the medal and its associated clasp, and advising the Minister on the conferral of the medal. This clause also requires the NZHADRM Committee to perform its functions in a manner consistent with the purpose of this Act. Clause 15 provides for the membership of the committee. Clause 16 provides that the committee may regulate its own procedure, subject to this Bill and any directions given by the Minister. Clause 17 requires the committee to prepare, and publish, an annual report on its activities. The Parliament of New Zealand enacts as follows: 1 Title This Act is the New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal Act 2026 . 2 Commencement This Act comes into force on the day after Royal assent. 3 Purpose The purpose of this Act is to provide for a new service medal, the New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal, to recognise service undertaken in the context of humanitarian aid or disaster relief activities on behalf of New Zealand. 4 Interpretation In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— medal means the New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal established under section 8 NZHADRM Committee means the committee established under section 13 qualifying deployment means a deployment outside New Zealand that is recognised by the NZHADRM Committee as a qualifying deployment for the purpose of eligibility for the medal in accordance with section 14(1)(c) South Pacific region includes— a the southern part of the Pacific Ocean; and b all of the following states or territories: i American Samoa: ii Australia: iii Cook Islands: iv Federated States of Micronesia: v Fiji: vi French Polynesia: vii Guam: viii Kiribati: ix Marshall Islands: x Nauru: xi New Caledonia: xii Niue: xiii Norfolk Island xiv Northern Mariana Islands: xv Palau: xvi Papua New Guinea: xvii Pitcairn Island xviii Samoa: xix Solomon Islands: xx Timor Leste: xxi Tokelau: xxii Tonga: xxiii Tuvalu: xxiv Vanuatu xxv Wallis and Futuna specified individual , in respect of a qualifying deployment, means an individual (other than a member of the Armed Forces) recognised by the NZHADRM Committee as eligible for the medal in accordance with section 14(1)(d) . Unless the context requires another meaning, terms and expressions used and not defined in this Act, but defined in the Defence Act 1990, have the same meaning as in that Act. 5 Transitional, savings, and related provisions The transitional, savings, and related provisions (if any) set out in Schedule 1 have effect according to their terms. 6 Prerogative unaffected Nothing in this Act limits the right of the Governor General to exercise all the powers of the Sovereign in respect of the regulation of the eligibility and other matters delegated by Royal Warrant in relation to Royal Honours. 7 Act binds the Crown This Act binds the Crown. 8 New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal There is a medal designated the New Zealand Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal. 9 Design of medal and clasp The NZHADRM Committee must determine the design of the medal and its associated clasp. The design of the medal must include the use of the following colours: a black: b white: c light blue. The design must ensure that different clasps are applied to each of the following type of deployment and that each are inscribed accordingly: a deployment within New Zealand recognised in accordance with section 11(a) : b qualifying deployment within the South Pacific region: c other qualifying deployment. The design of the medal must allow a person upon whom the medal has been conferred for 2 or more of the types of deployment listed in subsection (3) to include the clasp of each deployment in respect of which the medal has been conferred. 10 Conferral of medal The Minister may confer the medal on members of the Armed Forces or other specified individuals for service on a deployment within or outside of New Zealand undertaken to provide: a humanitarian aid: b disaster relief: c support in time of emergency. The Minister must confer the medal only on the advice of the NZHADRM Committee. 11 Eligibility for medal A person is eligible for the medal if, while serving as a member of the Armed Forces or as a specified individual, they— a have been deployed within New Zealand for a cumulative period of 14 days or more to undertake activities for the purpose of, or related to,— i responding to a state of national emergency; or ii responding to a state of local emergency; or iii search and rescue operations; or b have been deployed outside New Zealand on a qualifying deployment for a cumulative period of 7 days or more. A person is not eligible for the medal if they have received any other medal for the same deployment. 12 Forfeiture and restoration The Minister may— a cancel or annul the conferment of the medal on a person; and b if the conferment of the medal on a person has been cancelled or annulled, restore the medal to that person. 13 Minister must establish NZHADRM Committee The Minister must establish a NZHADRM Committee. The department must provide administrative support to the committee. 14 Functions of NZHADRM Committee The functions of the NZHADRM Committee are to— a determine the design of the medal and its associated clasp; and b advise the Minister of individuals to receive the medal; and c determine whether a deployment is a qualifying deployment; and d determine, in respect of a qualifying deployment, whether any individual is a specified individual or any class of individuals is a class of specified individuals for the purposes of eligibility for the medal. The NZHADRM Committee must perform its functions in a manner consistent with the purpose of this Act. 15 Membership of NZHADRM Committee The Minister must appoint no fewer than 5 members and not more than 7 members of the NZHADRM Committee. When making appointments to the committee, the Minister must be satisfied that the committee collectively has knowledge of, and experience and expertise in relation to, New Zealand’s activities in respect of humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Each member of the committee is appointed on any terms (including terms as to remuneration and travelling allowances and expenses) that the Minister determines by written notice to the member. 16 Procedure of NZHADRM Committee Subject to this Act and any written directions that the Minister gives to the NZHADRM committee, the committee may regulate its procedure in any manner that the committee thinks fit. 17 Annual report The NZHADRM Committee must provide to the Minister an annual report on the committee’s activities within 3 months after the end of each financial year. The annual report must include details of the determinations of the committee as to qualifying deployments. The committee must ensure that its annual report is available to the public on an Internet site maintained by or on behalf of the committee. 1 Transitional, savings, and related provisions Subject to subclause (2) , no deployment that ended before 1 January 2007 may be used to establish eligibility for the medal. Despite subclause (1) , the following deployments may be used to establish eligibility for the medal to the extent that the deployment meets the criteria in section 10(1) : a deployment to Singapore or Malaysia between 1969 and 1975: b deployment to the USSR in 1980.