The New Zealand Air Efficiency Award

2020/212

Coat of Arms of New Zealand

The New Zealand Air Efficiency Award

Elizabeth R

Royal Warrant

Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to all to whom these presents shall come,

Greeting!

Whereas We are desirous of signifying Our appreciation of the long service and good conduct of officers, airmen, and airwomen of the Territorial Air Force of Our Royal New Zealand Air Force and Air Force Reserve, which has hitherto been recognised by the conferral of the Air Efficiency Award of the same design as that conferred on the Auxiliary and Volunteer Air Forces of Our Royal Air Force under Our Warrant dated 12 April 1951 (SR 1954/14):

And whereas We reserved to Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with Our said Warrant, or any part thereof, by a notification under Our Sign Manual:

We do by these presents for Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors institute and create a new award.

1 Designation

(1)

There shall be an award designated “The New Zealand Air Efficiency Award”.

(2)

There shall also be a clasp to the award.

2 Commencement

This Our Warrant comes into force on the day after the date of its notification in the Gazette.

3 Conferral of award and clasp

(1)

The award and the clasp may be conferred on persons who—

(a)

served as members of Our New Zealand Armed Forces on or after 1 December 1977; and

(b)

before, on, or after that date, served as officers, airmen, or airwomen of the Territorial Air Force or the Air Force Reserve of Our Royal New Zealand Air Force (or any force that is for the time being a successor to either force and that is not part of the regular force of the Royal New Zealand Air Force).

(2)

The award and the clasp shall be conferred in accordance with regulations that the Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, may determine.

(3)

Regulations made under this Our Warrant may, without limitation,—

(a)

empower the Chief of Defence Force to determine or clarify any matters relating to the conferral of the award or the clasp; and

(b)

incorporate any material by reference.

(4)

A person who received the award in accordance with New Zealand regulations made under Our Warrant dated 12 April 1951 may receive a clasp to the award under this Warrant.

4 Description of award

The award shall be in silver and oval in shape and shall bear,—

(a)

on the obverse, the effigy of the Sovereign; and

(b)

on the reverse, the words “AIR EFFICIENCY AWARD”.

5 Description of clasps

Clasps shall be oblong in shape and shall bear an eagle with outstretched wings surmounted by a Royal Crown. The first 3 clasps shall be in silver. Where a fourth clasp is conferred, the silver clasps shall be replaced by a single gilt clasp. An additional gilt clasp shall be worn for each subsequent clasp conferred.

6 Ribbon

(1)

The award shall be worn from the left breast from a ribbon, 38 mm in width, of green with 2 central stripes of light blue.

(2)

When the ribbon is worn alone, a small silver rosette may be worn on the ribbon for each of the first 3 clasps conferred. Where a fourth clasp is conferred, the silver rosettes shall be replaced by a single gilt rosette. An additional gilt rosette shall be worn for each subsequent clasp conferred.

7 Post-nominal distinction

An officer on whom the award is conferred shall be entitled, on all occasions when the use of such letters is customary, to have placed after their name the letters “AE”.

8 Miniatures

Reproductions in miniature of the award and clasp, which may be worn on certain occasions by those on whom the award and clasp are conferred, shall not exceed one-half of the size of the full-size award and clasp.

9 Engraving of award

The name of the recipient shall be engraved on the rim of the award.

10 Record

The names of all those persons who receive the award and any clasps shall be recorded by the Chief of Defence Force (or a person appointed by the Chief of Defence Force).

11 Order of wear

The Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, may determine the order of wear of the award in relation to the insignia of orders, decorations, and medals that have been or may be conferred in Our Realm of New Zealand.

12 Powers of conferral, cancellation, forfeiture, and restoration

(1)

The Minister of Defence may confer the award and any clasps under the terms of this Our Warrant and regulations made under clause 3.

(2)

The Minister of Defence may—

(a)

cancel the conferral of an award or a clasp, or both, on any person and alter the person’s record accordingly; and

(b)

order the forfeiture of an award or a clasp, or both, by any person and alter the person’s record accordingly; and

(c)

restore an award or a clasp, or both, to a person and alter the person’s record accordingly.

(3)

The Minister of Defence may exercise the powers conferred under this clause in respect of any award or clasp conferred under New Zealand regulations made under Our Warrant dated 12 April 1951.

13 Delegated powers

(1)

The Minister of Defence may delegate powers under clause 12 to the Chief of Defence Force.

(2)

The Chief of Defence Force may delegate any powers delegated by the Minister of Defence under subclause (1) to the holder of a specified office or appointment within the New Zealand Defence Force.

14 Annulment

Our Warrant entitled “The New Zealand Air Efficiency Award” and notified in March 2013 under Our Sign Manual, which did not come into force, is annulled.

15 Powers reserved

We reserve to Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with this Our Warrant, or any part thereof, by a notification under Our Sign Manual.

Given at Our Court at Saint James’s, this 14th day of August 2020, in the 69th Year of Our Reign.

By Her Majesty’s Command,

Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern,
Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Explanatory note

This note is not part of the Warrant, but is intended to indicate its general effect.

This Warrant establishes The New Zealand Air Efficiency Award (the award) for long service and good conduct of persons who have served as officers, airmen, and airwomen of the Territorial Air Force and the Air Force Reserve of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It also establishes a clasp to the award for subsequent periods of service.

The long service and good conduct of officers, airmen, and airwomen of the Territorial Air Force and the Air Force Reserve has formerly been recognised by the conferral of the British Air Efficiency Award under a Warrant dated 12 April 1951 (SR 1954/14) and regulations dated 13 January 1954 (SR 1954/15). The award established by this Warrant is similar in design to the British Air Efficiency Award. A person who received the British Air Efficiency Award in accordance with those regulations may receive a clasp to that award under this Warrant.

This Warrant—

  • empowers the Governor-General to make regulations for the administration of the award:

  • empowers the Minister of Defence to confer awards and clasps, cancel the conferral of any award or clasp, order the forfeiture of any award or clasp, and restore any award or clasp:

  • permits the Minister of Defence to delegate the Minister’s powers in respect of awards and clasps to the Chief of Defence Force.

Issued under the authority of the Legislation Act 2012.

Date of notification in Gazette: 18 August 2020.

This Warrant is administered by the New Zealand Defence Force.