Hon MEKA WHAITIRI (Minister for Veterans): I'm very pleased to announce to the House that the ex gratia payments totalling $29.6 million has been made to 740 Vietnam veterans between December 2021 and March 2022 as part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2006 between the Crown, Vietnam veterans, and the RSA. The MOU accepted that exposure of service personnel to herbicides and defoliants was a major contributor to the ongoing suffering of our veterans and their families. I realise the money cannot fully compensate our Vietnam veterans for the hardships and inevitable distress they have experienced, but I hope this small gesture does go some way towards recognising their suffering and that of their family. I thank all current and ex-servicemen—and women—on behalf of all New Zealand for their service and for the sacrifices they have made for this country.