The New Zealand Traffic Service Medal is a long service award for uniformed Traffic Officers or Road Traffic Instructors. This includes officers of the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ...

as well as officers of local authorities. Eligible personnel must have been serving on or after 1 January 1987 but before 1 July 1992. The medal recognises those who have completed 14 years of continuous service.

Criteria

The New Zealand Traffic Service Medal could be awarded to Ministry of Transport Traffic Officers or Road Traffic Instructors as well as traffic officers of the various

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

, so long as their duties were similar to Ministry of Transport personnel. Service must have been before 1 July 1992 and only those officers who were serving on or after 1 January 1987 were eligible for the medal. Traffic Officers who had previously served in the

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintaini ...

could count up to seven years of service toward the award of the Traffic Service Medal, so long as that service had not been recognized by the award of the

New Zealand Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal The New Zealand Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is a long service award for full-time sworn officers and traffic officers of the New Zealand Police who have completed 14 years of service. Criteria The New Zealand Police Long Service a ...

or a clasp for the medal, and the period between the service had not been more than 28 days. Clasps were awarded to the New Zealand Traffic Service Medal for additional 7-year periods of qualifying service. The Ministry of Transport division that enforced traffic laws, along with its officers, was merged into the New Zealand Police in 1992. Since that time, the New Zealand Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is awarded to Traffic Officers who meet the medal's criteria. Service as a Ministry of Transport Traffic Officer may be counted toward the 14 years of service, so long as the service is not interrupted by more than 28 days and the period of service was not recognized by the award of the New Zealand Traffic Service Medal.

Appearance

The medal is circular and made of silver metal. It is in diameter. On the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

is the crowned effigy of the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

. The reverse bears the inscription ''The New Zealand Traffic Service Medal'' surrounded by fern fronds and surmounted by a royal crown. The medal hangs from a wide ribbon of light blue with a central stripe of white bordered by black stripes.

References

{{NZ Long & Meritorious Service Medals Civil awards and decorations of New Zealand New Zealand Meritorious & Long Service Awards Law enforcement awards and honors Long and Meritorious Service Medals of Britain and the Commonwealth