Who are the Trustees of the Viet Nam Veterans and their Families Trust?

The Chair of the Trust is appointed by the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs. The Returned Services Association (RSA) appoints two Trustees and the New Zealand Viet Nam Veterans Association (VVA) appoints two Trustees.

The current Trustees are:

Sir Jerry Mateparae - Chair (Settlor appointee)
Patrick Duggan (RSA appointee)
Rob Hughes (RSA appointee)
Graham Gibson (VVA appointee)
Helen Pearse-Otene (VVA appointee).

The Trust is administered by the Department of Internal Affairs, at no cost to the Trust.

When did the Viet Nam Veterans and their Families Trust start?

The Trust was established in 2007 with a capital endowment of $7 million from the New Zealand Government. Every year, the Trust makes grants from its investment income to Veterans and their families, or for other matters that will benefit the Viet Nam Veterans’ community.

Who makes the funding decisions for the Viet Nam Veterans and their Families Trust?

The Trust considers every request for assistance and decides whether to make a grant and for how much. When making decisions, the Trustees look at how a grant may benefit someone’s life. Decisions of the Trust are made independently of the government.