The Vietnam War medals worn by veterans of New Zealand's Victor Five company.
The Vietnam War medals worn by veterans of New Zealand's Victor Five company.
A member of the team working on a study on the health of Māori veterans from the Southeast Asia wars of the 1960s says the study has been a way for veterans to share with others the loads they have carried.
The five-year study, Te Parairoa A Tumatauenga, will be presented in Whakatāne today, along with updates on the WAI 2500 Military Veterans claim.
Malaya veteran Hemana Waaka.
Malaya veteran Hemana Waaka has been working with Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiārangi to interview veterans and whānau involved in Vietnam, Malaya and Korea.
He says a common theme was the way they felt abandoned by the Crown on their return from service.
“At the moment, I can assure you, there’s a giant lion asleep here in Aotearoa and overseas, but when that giant awakens, that is us, the veterans, we hope to shake the foundations of the Government House and Parliament down in Wellington.”
Funded through a Health Research Council (HRC) grant, the investigation aimed to better understand the wide range of health concerns experienced by Māori Veterans across various theatres of war and the strategies used by them to maintain their wellbeing during times of conflict, and when returning home.
Professor Te Kani Kingi. Photo / Supplied
Professor Te Kani Kingi, executive director of research and innovation at Awanuiārangi, says several reports, including those from the Waitangi Tribunal, will be used to bolster the investigation, capture descriptive and anecdotal accounts of the war impacts on health, and conceptualise these from a Māori perspective
“The ultimate aim is to be able to offer evidence-based advice on developing strategies to better support Māori war veterans,” Kingi said.
The hui today will also hear from Veterans Affairs deputy head Alex Brunt on the way New Zealand defines a veteran, and from Lieutenant Colonel Martin Dransfield on the Military Veterans Inquiry.
