The New Zealand Armed Forces Award

2020/213

Coat of Arms of New Zealand

The New Zealand Armed Forces 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 by a Warrant dated 6 May 1985 (SR 1985/89), We were pleased to institute an award, styled and designated “The New Zealand Armed Forces Award”, for conferral on officers of Our New Zealand regular forces, and reserved to Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with Our Warrant, or any part thereof, by a notification under Our Sign Manual:

And whereas it appears to Us expedient to make new provisions and amendments to Our said Warrant:

We do by these presents for Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors revoke Our Warrant of 6 May 1985 and establish, in respect of the award instituted and created by Our said Warrant, the following rules and ordinances.

1 Designation

(1)

There shall continue to be an award designated “The New Zealand Armed Forces Award”.

(2)

There shall also continue to 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 have served, on or after 6 February 1952, as officers in—

(a)

the regular forces of Our New Zealand Armed Forces; or

(b)

a New Zealand military force raised in time of war or other like emergency.

(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 under Our Warrant dated 6 May 1985 may receive a clasp to the award under this Warrant.

4 Royalty

The award may be worn by Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors and it shall be competent for Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors to confer at Our Pleasure the award and the clasp upon any Princes or Princesses of the Blood Royal and any other members of the Royal Family.

5 Governor-General

It shall be competent for Us, Our Heirs, and Our Successors to confer at Our Pleasure the award and the clasp on the Governor-General.

6 Description of award

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

(a)

on the obverse, the effigy of the Sovereign; and

(b)

on the reverse, the Badge of the New Zealand Defence Force, within the inscription “NEW ZEALAND ARMED FORCES AWARD”.

7 Description of clasps

Clasps shall be oblong in shape and shall bear a Royal Crown in the centre. 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.

8 Ribbon

(1)

The award shall be worn from the left breast from a ribbon, 32 mm in width, composed of 7 stripes: dark blue, crimson, light blue, black (narrow), light blue, crimson, and dark 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.

9 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.

10 Engraving of award

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

11 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).

12 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.

13 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 Our Warrant dated 6 May 1985.

14 Delegated powers

(1)

The Minister of Defence may delegate powers under clause 13 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.

15 Annulment

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

16 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 continues The New Zealand Armed Forces Award (the award) for long service and good conduct of persons who have served as officers in the New Zealand regular forces and enables the award to also be conferred on officers who served, on or after 6 February 1952, in a New Zealand military force raised in time of war or other like emergency. It also continues a clasp to the award for subsequent periods of service. It revokes and replaces the Warrant dated 6 May 1985 (The New Zealand Armed Forces Award (SR 1985/89)). A person who received the award under the Warrant dated 6 May 1985 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 the award 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 the award 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.