The RSA in New Zealand is an independent organization run and controlled completely by veterans. We are about to make a contribution to services they provide for us in the future, but we haven't to date. They're completely independent. On every move in Veterans' Affairs, I consult with the president of the RSA before I do anything. Before we made an announcement about the review of the War Pensions Act, I had long discussions with them, and we had a very clear understanding of what was going to happen. We had long discussions about the reorganization of Veterans' Affairs New Zealand, and we had agreement on that before anything happened. In the near future I'm going to have a meeting with the chief of defence--the RSA and I--just to discuss how things are going, what we need to do in the future. I consult very closely with them. No moves are made without talking to them about them.
On June 17th, 2008. See this statement in context.