The New Zealand Operational Service Medal

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 instituting a medal to award to members of Our New Zealand Defence Force and certain other New Zealanders who undertake operational service:

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

1. Style
   The Medal shall be styled and designated "The New Zealand Operational Service Medal".
2. Description
   The Medal shall be made of silver plated base-metal and circular in shape, bearing,---
   1. on the obverse, a representation of the New Zealand Coat of Arms; and
   2. on the reverse, a representation of a Kiwi, facing to the right, and below it the inscription "NEW ZEALAND" between two heraldic stars (mullets), and underneath the whole of which are three wavy lines and the inscription "FOR OPERATIONAL SERVICE".
3. Ribbon
   The Medal shall be worn from the left breast suspended from a ribbon, 32 millimetres in width, composed of 11 alternating black and white stripes.
4. Commencement Date
   The Medal shall be awarded for operational service on or after 3 September 1945.
5. Regulations
   The Medal shall be awarded for operational service under Regulations that the Governor-General of New Zealand, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister or a Minister of the Crown acting for the Prime Minister, may determine.
6. Register
   The names of all those persons who receive the Medal shall be recorded in a register kept by the Chief of Defence Force.
7. Order of wear
   In the official list showing the order in which Orders, Decorations, and Medals shall be worn in New Zealand, the Medal shall be worn as a war medal immediately after the New Zealand War Service Medal 1939-45 and before any other war medal issued for service from 3 September 1945.
8. Miniatures
   Reproductions of the Medal, in miniature, which may be worn on certain occasions by those persons who have received the Medal, shall not exceed one-half of the size of the full-size Medal.
9. Annulment
   We reserve to Ourself, Our Heirs and Successors, full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with this Our Royal Warrant, or any part of it, by a notification under Our Sign Manual.

Given at Our Court at Saint James's, this 23rd day of July 2002, in the 51st Year of Our Reign.

By Her Majesty's Command.

Helen Clark,
Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989. Date of notification in Gazette: 1 August 2002. This warrant is administered in the New Zealand Defence Force.

The New Zealand Operational Service Medal

The Regulations for the New Zealand Operational Service Medal