MSM Awards

The New Zealand Operational

Service Medal

Elizabeth R

Royal Warrant

Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting!

Whereas We are desirous of instituting a medal to award to members of Our New Zealand Defence Force and certain other New Zealanders who undertake operational service:

We do by these Presents for Us, Our Heirs and Successors, institute and create a new Medal.

1 Style

The Medal shall be styled and designated "The New Zealand Operational Service Medal".

2 Description

The Medal shall be made of silver plated base-metal and circular in shape, bearing -

on the obverse, a representation of the New Zealand Coat of Arms; and

on the reverse, a representation of a Kiwi, facing to the right, and below it the inscription

"NEW ZEALAND" between two heraldic stars (mullets), and underneath the whole of which are three wavy lines and the inscription "FOR OPERATIONAL SERVICE".

3 Ribbon

The Medal shall be worn from the left breast suspended from a ribbon, 32 millimetres in width, composed of 11 alternating black and white stripes.

4 Commencement Date

The Medal shall be awarded for operational service on or after 3 September 1945.

5 Regulations

The Medal shall be awarded for operational service under Regulations that the Governor-General of New Zealand, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister or a Minister of the Crown acting for the Prime Minister, may determine.

6 Register

The names of all those persons who receive the Medal shall he recorded in a register kept by the Chief of Defence Force.

7 Order of wear

In the official list showing the order in which Orders, Decorations, and Medals shall be worn in New Zealand, the Medal shall be worn as a war medal immediately after the New Zealand War Service Medal 1939-45 and before any other war medal issued for service from 3 September 1945.

8 Miniatures

Reproductions of the Medal, in miniature, which may be worn on certain occasions by those persons who have received the Medal, shall not exceed one-half of the size of the full-size Medal.

9 Annulment

We reserve to Ourself, Our Heirs and Successors, full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with this Our Royal Warrant, or any part of it, by a notification under Our Sign Manual.

Given at Our Court at Saint James's, this 23rd day of July 2002, in the 51st Year of Our Reign.

By Her Majesty's Command.

Helen Clark,

Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989.

Date of notification in Gazette: 1 August 2002.

This warrant is administered in the New Zealand Defence Force.

New Zealand Operational Service Medal

Regulations 2002

Silvia Cartwright, Governor-General

Pursuant to the Royal Warrant (SR 2002/223 dated 23 July 2002) instituting and creating the New Zealand Operational Service Medal, the Governor-General of New Zealand, under authority delegated by The Queen, has been pleased to make the following regulations.

Regulations

1 Title

These regulations are the New Zealand Operational Service Medal Regulations 2002.

2 Commencement

These regulations come into force on the 28th day after the date of their notification in the Gazette.

3 New Zealand Operational Service Medal

The New Zealand Operational Service Medal is awarded subject to the Royal Warrant and to these regulations.

4 Eligibility

The following persons are eligible for the Medal:

persons who were, at any time, members of the armed forces (within the meaning of

section 2(1) of the Defence Act 1971):

persons who were, at any time, members of -

the New Zealand Naval Forces (within the meaning of the Navy Act 1954); or

the New Zealand Army (within the meaning of the New Zealand Army Act 1950); or

iii

the Royal New Zealand Air Force (within the meaning of the Royal New Zealand

air Force Act 1950):

persons who were, at any time, members of -

the Defence Forces (within the meaning of the Defence Act 1909); or

the Naval Forces (within the meaning of the Navel defence Act 1913); or

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the Royal New Zealand Air Force (within the meaning of the Air Force act 1937):

civilian members of the New Zealand Defence Force and other civilian persons, including

persons who were, at any time, members of -

the New Zealand Police (within the meaning of the Police Force Act 1908): or

the New Zealand Police (within the meaning of the Police Force Act 1947): or

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the New Zealand Police Force (within the meaning of the Police Force Act 1958):

any other persons whom the Minister of Defence, on the advice of the Chief of Defence

Force, may determine.

5 Qualifications for Award

A person qualifies for the award of the Medal if he or she meets the requirements for eligibility and -

has been awarded either -

a New Zealand or Commonwealth, British, or other non-New Zealand medal for

service in a war, or warlike or non-warlike (including peacekeeping) operation, and that

medal has been approved for wearing as a war or campaign medal in the official list in

which orders, decorations, and medals must be worn in New Zealand; or

the Rhodesia Medal (1980); or

has served 7 days or more, continuous or aggregated, on the posted strength of a unit or formation on land and that service was a qualifying service towards 1 or more medals in paragraph (a); or

has completed 7 sorties or more as aircrew or supernumerary crew and that service was a qualifying service towards 1 or more medals in paragraph (a); or

had served 7 days or more, continuous or aggregated, in a ship or craft and that service was a qualifying service towards 1 or more medals in paragraph (a); or

has served 30 days, continuous or aggregated, for official service visits, inspections, or

other occurrences of a temporary nature and that service was a qualifying service

towards 1 or more medals in paragraph (a); or

has serves 7 days, continuous or aggregated, on the posted strength of a unit permanently based in Singapore between 1 February 1959 and 31 July 1960; or

has served 7 days either -

while posted to the New Zealand contribution to Operation Plainfare (Berlin

Airlift) in West Germany between 1 September 1948 and 11 August 1949; or

was seconded to the Royal Air Force in West Germany and participated in

Operation Plainfare; or

any other operational service, irrespective of whether a war or campaign medal has been awarded for that service, that the Minister of Defence, on the advice of the Chief of Defence Force, may determind.

6 Accumulated Service

The Medal shall be awarded for only the first period of operational service that qualifies a person for a Medal.

7 Delegation

The Chief of Defence Force or an officer of the New Zealand Defence Force authorised by the Chief of Defence Force may award the New Zealand Operational Service Medal to any eligible person who qualifies for the award of that Medal.

8 Forfeiture and restoration

It shall be competent for the Chief of Defence Force or a Chief of Staff acting for the Chief of Defence Force to -

cancel and annul the conferment of the Medal on a person; and

if the conferment of the Medal on a person has been cancelled or annulled, restore the

Medal to that person.

Dated at Wellington this 24th day of July 2002.

Mark Burton,

Minister of Defence.

Date of notification in Gazette: 1 August 2002.

Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989.

The New Zealand Operational Service Medal Regulations 2002 are administered in the New Zealand Defence Force