The New Zealand Special Service Medal
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 special services that are not normally recognised by a campaign medal:
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 Special Service Medal".
2 Description
The Medal shall be made of gold plated base-metal and circular in shape, bearing, -
aon the obverse, a representation of the New Zealand Coat of Arms; and
bon the reverse, a representation of a bouquet of New Zealand flora, composed of fern fronds and sprigs
of blossom of Pohutukawa, Manuka, Kowhai, and Mt Cook Lilies with a scroll below inscribed with the words
"FOR SPECIAL SERVICE".
3 Regulations
The Medal shall be awarded for those special services 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.
4 Operational service
Operational service shall not count as qualifying service for the Medal nor shall service towards qualification for the Medal count as qualifying service towards the New Zealand Operational Service Medal.
5 Ribbon
The Medal shall be worn from the left breast suspended from a ribbon, 32 millimetres in width, of a design 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 by Regulation.
6 Register
The names of all those persons who receive the Medal shall be 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 New Zealand Special Service Medal shall be worn in order of date of award after war medals but before Coronation, Jubilee, and New Zealand Commemoration Medals.
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.
Regulations 2006
Anand Satyanand, Governor-General
Pursuant to the Royal Warrant (SR 2002/224) dated 23 July 2002 instituting and creating the New Zealand Special Service Medal, the Governor-General of New Zealand, under authority delegated by Her Majesty The Queen, makes the following regulations.
Regulations
1 Title
These regulations are The New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) Regulations 2006.
2 Commencement
These regulations come into force on the day after the date of their notification in the Gazette.
3 New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus)
The New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) is awarded subject to the Royal Warrant and to these regulations.
4 Purpose
The purpose of the New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) is to recognise the extremely difficult and very unpleasant, hazardous, and extreme circumstances associated with Operation Overdue, being the New Zealand Police recovery and identification operation launched in the aftermath of the Erebus crash involving
a.the following physical risks:
(i) the debris, wreckage debris, and contaminated wreckage trail from the Erebus crash at
the Erebus crash site:
(ii) the extreme climatic conditions at the crash site:
(iii) the hazardous physical location of, and conditions at, the crash site:
b.the following psychological risks:
(i) body recovery:
(ii) victim identification:
(iii) the scale of the tragedy of the Erebus crash:
(iv) the fact that some of the victims of the Erebus crash were personally known to those
providing services in the aftermath of the crash.
5 Interpretation
In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires,
body recovery includes the recovery of personal effects
crash site means the north slope of Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica
Erebus crash means the crash of Air New Zealand DC-10-30 ZK-NZP Flight TE901 on the
north slope of Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica on 28 November 1979.
6 Eligibility
(1) The following persons are eligible for the medal:
aall persons who were involved, at any time between 29 November 1979 and
12 December 1979,
(i) at the crash site with body recovery work; or
(ii) at the crash site with the provision of support for body recovery work; or
(iii) with supply or support flights to and from the crash site for body recovery
purposes; or
(iv) at Williams Field at McMurdo Station with the processing or packing of victims'
remains and personal effects from the Erebus crash for transportation to New
Zealand:
ball persons who were involved, at any time between 6 December 1979 and
12 February 1980, at the mortuary located at the Auckland University School of Medicine,
with the identification of bodies from the Erebus crash in any of the following capacities:
(i) pathology:
(ii) dental:
(iii) embalming:
(iv) morticians:
(v) as part of the police victim identification team:
call persons who were involved, at any time between 29 November 1979 and
12 December 1979, at the crash site with investigation work as to the cause of the Erebus
crash.
(2) For the avoidance of doubt, subclause (1)(a) and (c) apply both to New Zealanders and citizens of the United States of America and other countries.
7 Ribbon
The ribbon is to be 32 mm in width and composed of 7 stripes: dark blue, light blue, white, black, white, light blue, and dark blue.
8 Delegation
The Chief of Defence Force or an officer authorised by the Chief of Defence Force may award the medal to any eligible person who, in the judgement of the Chief of Defence Force or the authorised officer, qualifies for the award of the medal.
9 Forfeiture and restoration
The Chief of Defence Force or an officer authorised by the Chief of Defence Force may
cancel or 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 6th day of November 2006.
Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989. Date of notification in Gazette: 30 November 2006. These regulations are administered by the New Zealand Defence Force.
