Veterans War with NZ Government for Compensation
NZ Govt Promised to Pay Vietnam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
Oct 21, 2009
It was not until 2004 that any NZ government would even acknowledge its Vietnam veterans had been exposed to chemical defoliants such as agent orange during the war. The denials continued despite allied forces veterans being compensated by their governments.
An official apology by the NZ government to its Vietnam veterans took a further two years. But it was bolstered by the promise of a $30 million compensation and benefits package. However, In 2009, NZ Vietnam veterans said they were still waiting to see any of that promised package.
"So we're still at war," Vietnam veteran Ross Niwa recently told this author.
"I think they're just waiting for us all to die so they don't have to pay us anything," he said.
He believed the process had been stalled by a review of the War Veterans' Act.
Some Vietnam Veterans Dead Before Any Sign of Promised Compensation for Veterans
Others like Vietnam veteran Charles Pewhairangi, had not lived long enough to even see an official welcome home ceremony, eventually held in 2008. Charles died soon after turning 60. His nephew Tuwhakiairiora Pewhairangi said he did not expect there would ever be any Vietnam veteran compensation for Charles or his remaining family.
This author spoke with Charles Pewhairangi and Ross Niwa, both of Gisborne, during 2004 on the eve of the NZ government's long awaited initial "acknowledgement" of the plight of its Vietnam veterans.
The pair spoke about their exposure to chemical defoliants in Vietnam and the additional trauma they suffered with years of governments’ denials. The long anticipated acknowledgement of their plight would be a huge relief. They hoped it might also mean compensation for veterans.
Mr Pewhairangi and Mr Niwa said that after returning from Vietnam they felt increasingly abandoned by the very country they had sent them.
Not only had they suffered serious health issues as a result of exposure to chemical defoliants but so too had their families, they said.
Exposure to Chemical Defoliants Such as Agent Orange Cause Numerous Illnesses Suffered by Vietnam Veterans
For at least the first six weeks back at home, Mr Pewhairangi was suffered from the aftermath of continued exposure to chemical defoliants, he said. Dogged by a dry mouth, he took to drinking alcohol excessively — a way to numb the painful memories of war, he said.
He had suffered from a variety of illnesses including ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and seasonal rashes- recognised by other governments as known effects from the chemical defoliants used in Vietnam.
Mr Pewhairangi said It was bewildering that the NZ government could continually deny the reason for the health statistics of its Vietnam veterans.
He understood that some 1200 of the 3500 Kiwi personnel stationed in Vietnam had died prematurely, many from cancer.
Mr Niwa said that for him Vietnam had been two wars - one against the communists and one back home against the NZ government for compensation. He and his brother Ross, who also fought in Vietnam, each in their 60s, both now had cancer.
Children of Vietnam Veterans Should Also Get Veterans Compensation
Several other Vietnam veterans they knew had children with a variety of handicaps, Mr Niwa said. The children of Vietnam veterans should also be entitled to compensation, he said.
He believed NZ governments' denials were part of an effort to avoid paying compensation or part of a “cover-up” to protect companies that had manufactured the defoliants. (It has been widely speculated that New Plymouth company Ivan Watkins Dow was involved in manufacturing the chemical defoliant Agent Orange used in Vietnam.)
Compensation for Veterans of Allied Countries While NZ Vietnam VeteransStruggle Unsupported
It was hard to understand how the NZ government could deny the plight of its Vietnam veterans when veterans of other countries were receiving compensation and benefits from their Governments, Mr Niwa said.
"They never seemed to care about us Vietnam servicemen.
"We're sick of raw deals. We don't want that for the rest of our lives," Mr Niwa said.
The time had come for a fair deal. New Zealand needed to follow the example of its allies, he said.
Mr Pewhairangi said the NZ government not only needed to “acknowledge” the plight of its Vietnam veterans, it needed to apologise for it.
Even on their return home from the war, the NZ government had failed its Vietnam veterans, he said.
"There was no debriefing like they give to troops nowadays. When we arrived back from Vietnam we were picked up by our families at the airport and left to deal with matters," he said.
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