Notice Type
General Section
Notice Title

Declaration of Operational Service for the Purposes of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964

In accordance with section 15 of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964 (“Act”), I hereby give the following notice.

Notice

1. I declare service:

  • In the Republic of Angola as defined, from 1 July 1991 up to and including 30 June 1999, to be operational service for the purposes of the Act.

Republic of AngolaThe geographic area of Angola includes all of the sovereign territory incorporated from the former Portuguese claimed-territory of Angola (including the area of Cabinda Province) at independence on 11 November 1975. This territory is defined by all recognised boundary agreements with neighbouring states such as: with Namibia, including the 1926 and 1931 Portuguese-South Africa agreements as well as subsequent technical agreements; with Zambia, including the 1924, 1954 and 1964 Anglo-Portuguese agreements; with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (including Cabinda) as defined by recognised agreements including the 1885, 1891 Congolese-Portuguese conventions and the 1913 and 1925 Belgian-Portuguese protocols for Cabinda; and with the Republic of Congo (including Cabinda) including the 1886 and 1901 Franco-Portuguese agreements.The geographic area of Angola also includes the 12nm territorial sea extending from baselines as defined in the Decree-Law No. 47,777 of 21 June 1967 and in accordance with Law No. 21/92 of 28 Aug 1992.

2. I declare that the declaration for service in the Republic of Angola will supersede the declaration made on 16 June 2003 by George Hawkins, Minister of Internal Affairs, for service from July 1991 until June 1999 with the:

  • Second United Nations Verification Missions in Angola II (UNAVEM II);
  • Third United Nations Verification Missions in Angola III (UNAVEM III);
  • United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA); and
  • the De-mining programme at the National Institute for the Removal of Obstacles and Explosive Ordnance (INAROEE).

3. This entitles any member of the New Zealand Defence Force covered by this declaration (and their spouse, civil union partner or de facto partner) to have their remains buried in the part of any cemetery set aside by a local authority for the burial of:

  • members of her Majesty’s Forces that have undertaken operational service; and
  • the spouses, civil union partners, and de facto partners of members of Her Majesty’s Forces that have undertaken operational service.

4. Members of other Commonwealth Forces who have undertaken the same operational service and their spouses, civil union partners, and de facto partners may also be interred.

5. As required by the Act, consultation occurred prior to the making of this declaration.

Dated this 18th day of August 2020

Hon RON MARK, Minister for Veterans.