Request for data on registered charities supporting military veterans
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Internal Affairs did not have the information requested.
From: SPENCER JONES
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information from the Department of Internal Affairs in its capacity as regulator and maintainer of the Charities Register:
Veteran-focused registered charities — count and list
Please provide:
the number of currently registered charities whose primary charitable purpose is the support, welfare, advocacy, rehabilitation, assistance, or services for New Zealand military veterans and/or their families; and
the list of those charities, including for each:
legal name,
Charities Register number,
registration status (registered / deregistered),
date of registration (and deregistration, if applicable).
Methodology and criteria
Please provide:
the criteria and definitions used to determine whether a charity is considered “veteran-focused” for the purpose of the count;
whether the classification is based on:
charitable purpose statements,
activities,
beneficiary descriptions,
keywords or taxonomies,
or other internal categorisation;
any limitations or caveats associated with this classification (for example, where “veterans” appear incidentally or where charities serve mixed beneficiary groups).
Availability of existing datasets
Please advise whether:
Charities Services already holds an internal dataset, tag, or classification identifying charities that support military veterans; and
if so, whether that dataset can be released (in whole or in part) under the OIA.
Registered vs deregistered charities
If available, please also provide:
the number of deregistered charities whose primary purpose was support of military veterans and/or their families; and
the most common reasons for deregistration within that subset (e.g. voluntary removal, failure to file annual returns).
Scope and clarification
This request relates specifically to military veterans (including former members of the NZ Defence Force and allied forces where relevant), and does not seek information about non-military uses of the term “veteran” (e.g. sporting, professional, or trade-based usage).
I am not requesting personal information about charity officers or beneficiaries.
Section 13 assistance
If any part of this request is considered likely to engage section 18(f) (substantial collation or research), I request assistance under section 13 of the Act so the scope can be refined to enable release.
Public interest
There is a strong public interest in transparency regarding:
the visibility and accessibility of charitable support for military veterans;
the ability of veterans, agencies, and policymakers to understand what charitable support exists;
and the effective navigation and signposting of support services for a vulnerable population.
Format
Where possible, I request the information in electronic form (e.g. table or spreadsheet).
Thank you for your assistance.
Kind regards
Spencer Jones
From: OIA
Department of Internal Affairs
Tçnâ koe,
Thank you for contacting the Department of Internal Affairs. You have
contacted us during the annual legislative closedown period of public
service OIA processing, which spans 24 December 2024 to 15 January 2025
(inclusive).
During this period public service Official Information Act processing is
suspended.
If you are making a new Official Information Act (OIA) request for
information held by the Department, we will respond to you after OIA
processing resumes on Thursday the 16th January 2025. You can check the
time limit for the Department’s response in the [1]Ombudsman’s OIA
Response Calculator.
If you are contacting the Department about information that is held by a
different agency; a Minister; or a Local Authority, you will receive your
answer up to two weeks sooner if you [2]request the information from them
directly. If you will be contacting them directly, please take a moment
to let us know that you are withdrawing your request to the Department.
Nâku noa, nâ
Privacy and Official Correspondence team
Legal Services | Enterprise Services
Level 6, 45 Pipitea St | PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand |
[3]www.dia.govt.nz
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
2. https://www.govt.nz/organisations/mail-m...
3. http://www.dia.govt.nz/
From: Charities Service - Info
Department of Internal Affairs
Kia ora Spencer,
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request dated 31
December 2025 and copied below.
I am responding to your request as a business query. It may be helpful for
me to explain, where information can be freely provided without the need
for collation or consultation, and the nature of the information does not
require considerations for withholding or refusal under the Official
Information Act (OIA), there is no need to action it as an OIA request.
You have requested data relating to veteran-focused registered charities.
Please note that information about currently and previously registered
charities can be found on the publicly available [1]Charities Register.
You can also search data sets by using the [2]advanced search function.
For further information about accessing Charities Services data, see
[3]Charities Services | Open data
We are currently making technical improvements to our advanced search
function, so on this occasion, we’ve provided this publicly available
information in the attached spreadsheet.
You requested the following:
Veteran-focused registered charities — count and list
Please provide the number of currently registered charities whose primary
charitable purpose is the support, welfare, advocacy, rehabilitation,
assistance, or services for New Zealand military veterans and/or their
families; and the list of those charities, including for each:
- legal name,
- Charities Register number,
- registration status (registered / deregistered),
- date of registration (and deregistration, if applicable).
Methodology and criteria
Please provide the criteria and definitions used to determine whether a
charity is considered “veteran-focused” for the purpose of the count,
whether the classification is based on:
- charitable purpose statements,
- activities,
- beneficiary descriptions,
- keywords or taxonomies,
- or other internal categorisation;
- any limitations or caveats associated with this
classification (for example, where “veterans” appear incidentally or where
charities serve mixed beneficiary groups).
Availability of existing datasets
Please advise whether Charities Services already holds an internal
dataset, tag, or classification identifying charities that support
military veterans; and if so, whether that dataset can be released (in
whole or in part) under the OIA.
Registered vs deregistered charities
If available, please also provide:
- the number of deregistered charities whose primary purpose
was support of military veterans and/or their families; and he most common
reasons for deregistration within that subset (e.g. voluntary removal,
failure to file annual returns).
Response from Charities Services
Veteran-focused registered charities — count and list
As noted above, information about all currently registered and
deregistered be found on the publicly available [4]Charities Register.
This includes their legal name, registration number, registration status
and registration and deregistration dates.
Methodology and criteria
When an organisation applies to become a registered charity, they must
state what their charitable purpose is. Our system uses set categories for
a charity’s main sector, main activity, and main group of beneficiaries.
These categories are broad and don’t include a specific option for
“veterans.”
When applying, a charity that focuses on veterans might choose one of the
broader categories—such as social services or accommodation and housing.
They can also choose “other,” which lets them manually enter more specific
information, including details related to veterans.
Availability of existing datasets
There isn’t a specific dataset for charities that focus on veterans.
However, you can find this information on the public website by using the
[5]advanced search function and filtering by main sector, main activity
and main beneficiary.
The attached results were found using the search criteria: Veterans,
Servicemen, Returned, Poppy and RSA.
We have provided the legal name of all these charities, their registration
number, registration date, registration status, deregistration date,
reason for deregistration their main sector, main activity, main
beneficiary, other purposes, other activities and other beneficiaries.
Please note that the data provided may not include charities that fall
outside the defined search criteria.
Registered vs deregistered charities
This information has also been included in the spreadsheet provided.
We trust this answers your question and encourage you to make use of our
publicly available search tools to meet your future data needs.
Ngâ mihi
Helen Steven ([6]she/her)* | Manager Engagement and Business Improvement
Charities Services | Ngâ Ratonga Kaupapa Atawhai
Regulatory and Identity Services Branch| Taituarâ
Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
show quoted sections
SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
Public annotation – system visibility findings
This request is now closed. Charities Services has provided a spreadsheet of charities returned using keyword searches (e.g., “Veterans”, “RSA”, “Poppy”), along with registration details.
However, the response confirms that there is no specific beneficiary classification or internal dataset identifying veteran-focused charities. Identification relies on broad sector categories and free-text self-descriptions rather than structured tagging.
This means there is no authoritative, curated register of charities supporting military veterans in New Zealand. Visibility depends on keyword searches rather than a defined beneficiary category.
The outcome is useful in clarifying how the system currently operates and highlights limitations in beneficiary classification rather than revealing withheld information.
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence (note: this contains the same information already available above).
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SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
Why this information has been requested
New Zealand has one of the highest numbers of registered charities per capita in the world, with approximately **29,000 registered charities** currently listed on the Charities Register.
Despite this, many **military veterans and their families report difficulty identifying and accessing charitable support**, particularly when they are injured, unwell, transitioning out of service, or dealing with complex interactions between Veterans’ Affairs, ACC, and other agencies.
This request seeks to establish a **basic, but currently unclear fact**:
**how many registered charities in New Zealand exist whose primary purpose is to support military veterans and/or their families**, and what those charities are.
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## Why this matters in practice
For veterans, access to support often depends on:
* knowing *where to look*,
* understanding *who is eligible*,
* and being referred or signposted to the right organisation at the right time.
At present:
* there is **no publicly maintained, authoritative directory** of veteran-focused charities;
* veterans are often expected to self-navigate the Charities Register or rely on word-of-mouth;
* and it is unclear whether agencies and representative bodies have visibility of the full charitable landscape that could support veterans.
Without a clear understanding of **what charitable support exists**, it is difficult for:
* veterans to find help,
* agencies to refer appropriately,
* representative bodies to advocate effectively,
* or policymakers to assess whether gaps in support exist.
---
## What this request is (and is not)
This request **does not assume wrongdoing**, nor does it suggest that charities or agencies are failing.
It simply asks for:
* a **count** of veteran-focused registered charities;
* the **criteria used** to identify them;
* and confirmation of whether such information is already held or classified by Charities Services.
This is foundational transparency information that would normally be expected to be readily available for a distinct population group such as military veterans.
---
## Why the Department of Internal Affairs is being asked
The Department of Internal Affairs, through Charities Services, is:
* the regulator of registered charities;
* the maintainer of the Charities Register;
* and the holder of the most authoritative data on charitable purposes and classifications.
If this information is not currently available in a usable form, that in itself is an important governance signal about **discoverability and accessibility of support**.
---
## Public interest
There is a clear public interest in:
* ensuring veterans can locate support without unnecessary barriers;
* understanding whether charitable capacity aligns with veteran need;
* and supporting informed discussion between government, representative bodies, and the community about how veterans are best supported.
The outcome of this request will be shared with veteran representative organisations and used to inform constructive, evidence-based discussion about visibility, navigation, and support pathways.
---
*This annotation is intended to provide context for readers and does not prejudge the outcome of the request.*
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