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 Iraq as defined, from 1 July 1988 up to and including 30 June 2022, to be operational service for the purposes of the Act.

Republic of Iraq – The geographic area of Iraq includes all of the sovereign territory defined by the boundaries with neighbouring states through recognised agreements. These include recognised pre-independence agreements with neighbouring Turkey including the 1926 and 1927 Iraq-Turkey agreements and protocols; with neighbouring Syria including the 1932 and 1933 Iraq-Syria agreements and reports; with neighbouring Iran including the 1975 Iran-Iraq Treaty; with neighbouring Jordan including the 1984 Iraq-Jordan Border treaty; with neighbouring Saudi Arabia including the 1981 Iraq-Saudi Arabia Frontier Treaty; and with neighbouring Kuwait including the results of the 1993 UN Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission. The geographic area of Iraq also includes the 12nm territorial sea area in accordance with Law No. 71 of 1958, extending from the baseline defined in the 9 May 2011 UN Maritime Zone Notification (MZN.83.2011.LOS).

2. I declare service in the Republic of Iraq will supersede the declarations made on:

  • 4 March 2010 by Hon Judith Collins, Minister of Veterans’ Affairs for service as part of the United Nations Special Commission Iraq (June 1991 to December 1991).
  • 28 May 2015 by Hon Craig Foss, Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, for service in the Republic of Iraq and the airspace above it on or after 4 November 2014 to 31 December 2017.
  • 10 November 2016 by Hon Craig Foss, Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, for service in the Republic of Iraq and the airspace above it between:
    • 1 November 2002 and 31 March 2003 (inclusive);
    • 1 May 2003 and 30 September 2004 (inclusive); and
    • 1 January 2005 and 31 October 2013 (inclusive).
  • 30 November 2017, by you, for service within the territorial limits of the Republic of Iraq and the airspace above it on or after 4 November 2014 until declared otherwise.

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.