Nearly 1000 New Zealand military veterans are pleading for a faster, more robust system to help them live with the traumas of war amid a growing backlog.
One support group providing some relief for former soldiers was established by two Vietnam War veterans.
Once a month, they gather at the National Air Force Museum in Christchurch for a coffee and a chat.
"They enjoy each other's company, they tell lies and bulls**t each other, and pretty much reconnect," veteran Joe Cox said.
While the group began with just two men, close to 100 others have since been recruited from across the South Island.
"It's gaining a sort of reputation, gaining strength so I'm really pleased with the progress that we've made," veteran Ross Milne said.
When the soldiers returned home from Vietnam, they were met with protests.
Already physically and mentally traumatising from what they had seen, many said they didn't receive the help they had been promised.
"The reality is, the government doesn't want to know you when you come back from the war zone with injuries because it means they have to put money aside to look after you," Cox said.
Veterans' Affairs, the arm of the Defence Force established to support veterans, currently has more than 12,000 clients who receive financial, health or home help.
However, a backlog of 900 veterans are still waiting, with 1400 claims made.
In a statement, a Veterans' Affairs spokesperson told 1News: "Our work to streamline processes are successfully reducing waiting times."
It added that "around 700 applications" are waiting for further medical information at any given time.
Milne called for the government agency to provide their services "in a distributed manner out in the community so we have direct access to case managers and decision makers that will speed up the processes".
SHARE ME