US veterans chief drops in for cuppa

The man who looks after America's veterans has a new insight into New Zealand's war efforts.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, James Nicholson, laid a wreath at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and then scheduled a visit to the Ranfurly Veterans Home in Three Kings for a cuppa.

Mr Nicholson, on a private trip to New Zealand for a long weekend with his wife, is responsible for 25 million veterans and 123 nursing facilities. He said his department's budget was equivalent to 80 per cent of New Zealand's gross domestic product.

Mr Nicholson also had an informal meeting with Veterans Affairs Minister Rick Barker.

"I found him to be very informed about veterans' history and the relationship between the US and New Zealand ..."

Mr Nicholson said he invited Mr Barker to come and see the work he and his department were doing for veterans in the US.

Mr Nicholson was also shown around the exhibition Scars on the Heart, which covers the human cost of the war in New Zealand's past.

"[The museum] is impressive ... It gave me a much better appreciation of the contribution New Zealanders have made in the preservation of freedom over the years. The commitment and loss of New Zealanders - they're not huge in absolute terms but they are in relative terms."

- NZPA