Request for information on Veterans Advisory Board visibility of veteran charities and advice on signposting and support gaps
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to New Zealand Defence Force
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From: SPENCER JONES
Dear New Zealand Defence Force, eterans Advisory Board (via Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand / NZ Defence Force)
Request
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information held by, or provided to, the Veterans Advisory Board (VAB):
Visibility of veteran-focused charities
Please advise whether the VAB:
holds, maintains, or has been provided with any list, directory, register, or briefing material identifying charities or community organisations that support military veterans and/or their families; and
if so, please provide the most current version of that material.
Advice to Ministers or Veterans’ Affairs NZ
Please provide copies of any advice, recommendations, briefings, or reports provided by the VAB since 1 January 2019 that relate to:
charitable or community support for veterans;
gaps in veteran support outside statutory entitlements;
signposting, referral, navigation, or “front door” access to support services.
Consideration of signposting or navigation frameworks
Please provide any papers, minutes, or discussion records where the VAB has considered:
whether veterans can readily identify and access charitable or community support;
whether a central directory or signposting mechanism is needed; or
comparisons with overseas models (e.g. Defence/Armed Forces Covenant approaches).
Absence of information
If the VAB does not hold information of the type described in items 1–3 above, please confirm:
that the VAB does not currently have visibility of a comprehensive veteran charity landscape; and
whether the Board has previously identified this as an issue or gap.
Scope and clarification
This request relates to military veterans and their families and to charitable or community organisations (including registered charities).
I am not seeking personal information about individual veterans or Board members.
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 understanding:
what information the Veterans Advisory Board has visibility of when advising on veterans’ wellbeing;
whether charitable and community support is considered as part of that advice; and
whether any identified gaps in navigation or signposting have been raised with decision-makers.
Format
Where possible, I request the information in electronic form.
Thank you for your assistance.
Kind regards
Spencer Jones
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Defence Force
Link: [1]File-List
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Why this information has been requested
The Veterans Advisory Board (VAB) exists to provide independent advice on matters affecting the wellbeing of New Zealand veterans and their families.
Many veterans rely not only on statutory entitlements, but also on charitable and community organisations for support such as wellbeing, peer support, advocacy, hardship assistance, housing, or family support. For that support to be effective, it must be visible, navigable, and understood by those advising government.
This request seeks to understand what visibility the VAB has of the veteran charity landscape, and whether issues of signposting, navigation, or gaps in non-statutory support have been considered or raised in the Board’s advice.
What this request is asking
The request asks whether the VAB:
holds or has been provided with any lists, directories, or briefing material identifying charities or community organisations that support veterans and their families;
has provided advice or recommendations on charitable or community support for veterans, including any identified gaps outside statutory entitlements;
has considered whether veterans can readily identify and access support, or whether a central signposting or “front door” mechanism is needed;
has discussed comparisons with overseas approaches (such as Defence or Armed Forces Covenant models).
The request also allows for confirmation where such information is not held, as that is relevant to understanding how veterans’ needs are considered at a governance level.
Why this matters
Effective advice depends on situational awareness. If advisory bodies do not have visibility of the full support ecosystem available to veterans, it is difficult to assess whether veterans are being adequately supported in practice, or whether gaps in access and navigation exist.
Understanding the VAB’s visibility of charitable and community support helps inform constructive discussion about:
how veterans experience the system in reality;
whether non-statutory support is being factored into advice; and
whether improvements to signposting or coordination could improve outcomes.
Public interest
There is a clear public interest in transparency about:
the information available to bodies advising on veterans’ wellbeing;
whether gaps in access to support have been identified at a governance level; and
how veterans can be better supported through clearer visibility and navigation of available assistance.
This request is intended to support evidence-based discussion and does not prejudge the outcome.
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