Hon Nathan Guy

Minister of Veterans’ Affairs
 
18 November 2012

Media Statement        

One week left for public to have their say on Gallipoli 2015 balloting
 
New Zealanders have just one week left to have their say on how to ballot attendance at Anzac Day 2015 in Gallipoli, says Veterans’ Affairs Minister Nathan Guy.
 
“We expect that record numbers of New Zealanders and Australians will want to attend Gallipoli commemorations in 2015, marking the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landings.
 
“Because of the steep terrain, the Anzac Commemorative Site in Gallipoli can safely hold only about 10,000 people. This means both countries will need to manage numbers in 2015 to ensure everyone’s safety.
 
“Public consultation on how the Government should ballot places closes on Sunday 25 November. Over 700 people have filled out the survey so far, but we want to encourage more people to have their say.
 
“We want to hear New Zealanders’ views about how the attendance pass system could work and whether special groups should be given priority. This could include descendants of Gallipoli veterans, veterans of other wars, serving members of the Defence Force and youth representatives.
 
“New Zealand is expected to have around 2000 places and Australia 8000, reflecting each countries casualties at Gallipoli in 1915,” says Mr Guy.
 
Under the proposed allocation system, New Zealanders interested in attending the services at Gallipoli would register their interest next year with the ballot to be held by April 2014.
 
More than 8,500 New Zealanders and 50,000 Australians served at Gallipoli.  By the end of the eight-month campaign, 2,721 New Zealanders and 8,709 Australians had died, and thousands were injured.
 
The online survey is available at www.gallipoli2015.govt.nz with submissions closing on 25 November 2012. Physical copies are available by calling Veterans Affairs New Zealand on 0800 483 8372.
 
Mr Guy will be discussing plans for Gallipoli 2015 at a Ministerial Summit on Veterans’ Affairs to be held in Canberra, Australia from today till 20 November. The summit will be attended by representatives from Australia, USA and Canada.
 
ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>