The New Zealand Armed Forces Award is a long service decoration for Regular Force

Officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

of the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

. Established on 6 May 1985, the medal was originally presented for 15 years of unblemished service. On 14 August 2020, a new gazette was issued with modified criteria for the medal to be awarded for 14 years of service. Clasp eligibility was reduced from 15 years to seven years.

Appearance

The New Zealand Armed Forces Award is a circular silver medal. 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, ...

bears the crowned effigy of Her Majesty

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

surrounded by the inscription ''ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FID. DEF.'' The reverse shows two crossed swords, pointed upwards, with a spread winged eagle superimposed in the centre, surmounted by a Naval Crown. Behind the swords are two fern fronds with their stems crossed at the base. The whole designed is surrounded by the inscription ''New Zealand'' above and ''Armed Forces Award'' below. The emblems on the reverse are representative of the three services: the New Zealand Defence Force, the

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

, the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

, and the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeal ...

. The medal is suspended by a ribbon of dark blue, crimson, and light blue. These colours represent the three services, while the black central stripe represents New Zealand. Subsequent awards of the medal are denoted by a clasp worn on the suspension ribbon of the medal or as a rosette on the service ribbon worn in undress.

Notable Recipients

Lt Gen Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae * Air Marshal Kevin Short *

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...

(2012).

References

{{NZ Long & Meritorious Service Medals Military awards and decorations of New Zealand New Zealand Meritorious & Long Service Awards Long and Meritorious Service Medals of Britain and the Commonwealth