Veteran access to mainstream social support and navigation responsibilities (2019–present)
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Ministry of Social Development
Currently waiting for a response from Ministry of Social Development, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear Ministry of Social Development,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information held by Ministry of Social Development (MSD):
Please provide any briefings, advice, internal correspondence, emails, reports, or guidance held by the Ministry of Social Development since 1 January 2019 that:
address how veterans (including disabled or medically retired veterans) are supported or identified within mainstream MSD services;
discuss whether veterans face barriers in accessing non-statutory or community support through mainstream systems;
consider coordination or interface responsibilities between MSD and Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand; or
record decisions about whether veterans should be treated as a distinct group for navigation or referral purposes.
This request does not seek personal information or case files. It seeks policy-level records relating to veteran navigation and access to support.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
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 ()
Context and purpose of this request
This Official Information Act request follows earlier NZDF / Veterans’ Advisory Board responses (#33397 and #33398), which confirmed that no central system exists to support navigation of veterans to non-statutory or charitable assistance, and that no internal records exist acknowledging or addressing that gap.
Veterans frequently interact with mainstream social support systems administered by the Ministry of Social Development, particularly where they are medically retired, disabled, or living with complex needs.
This request does not seek service lists, directories, or operational guidance. It seeks to understand whether MSD:
• has considered veterans as a distinct cohort requiring tailored navigation across statutory and non-statutory support;
• has received advice or raised concerns about veterans falling between systems; or
• has discussed responsibility boundaries between MSD, Veterans’ Affairs, and Defence for non-entitlement support pathways.
The purpose is to clarify whether the absence of veteran-specific navigation is a conscious policy position, an unassigned responsibility, or an unexamined gap.
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