10. Defence Force—Repatriation of RemainsDARROCH BALL (NZ First) to the Minister for VeteransDefence Force—Repatriation of Remains10. DARROCH BALL (NZ First) to the Minister for Veterans: What progress if any has been made regarding the Government's decision to repatriate the remains of New Zealand military personnel and dependants who were buried overseas after 1 January 1955?Hon RON MARK (Minister for Veterans): Thank you Mr Speaker. Tēnā koutou i ō tātou tini mate koutou kua whetūrangitia ki te korowai o Ranginui koutou kua wehe atu ki Te Pō ki Te Atua i te ārai ki te okiokinga o ō tātou tūpuna haere haere haere![Salutations to you collectively in regard to the myriad of our deaths you who have become immortalised as a star upon the cloak of the great Sky Father you who have departed to the void to the god at the barricade and to the resting place of our ancestors go forth depart farewell!]Yesterday I on behalf of the Government attended a ramp ceremony at Ōhākea airbase welcoming home three New Zealand Defence Force personnel who were repatriated from Fiji and American Samoa. It was a privilege to stand with the families of our fallen as a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules returned Flight Lieutenant George Beban Leading Aircraftman Ralph Scott both from Fiji and Royal New Zealand Navy engineering mechanic First Class Russell Moore from American Samoa to New Zealand soil. The repatriated personnel were received with a pōhiri and a tri-service guard of honour after which they were handed over to their families. A short private family service was held followed by a moving haka. The families will now reinter their loved ones in a place and at a time of their choosing in New Zealand.Darroch Ball: What can the Minister tell us about the military personnel who were repatriated?Hon RON MARK: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker my office contacted you and said this answer may be a little longer to do it justice.SPEAKER: Yes yes I understand that.Hon RON MARK: Thank you Mr Speaker. I can report to the House that flight lieutenant George Thomas Beban MBE served in the Second World War as an RNZAF medic. He was discharged at the conclusion of hostilities. He re-enlisted in 1948 as an RNZAF secretarial officer. In 1954 he was posted with his family to an RNZAF station at Laucala Bay as a senior secretarial officer and press liaison officer. He died of natural causes aged 40 on 31 August 1956 in Fiji and was buried in the military section of the Suva Cemetery.Leading aircraftman Ralph Henry Scott enlisted in the RNZAF as a fireman on 27 December 1956. He also served from 1952 to 1956 in the Royal Air Force as a fireman. After a period of basic training he was posted to RNZAF Base Ōhākea as a fireman. In August 1960 he was posted to the fire crew at RNZAF station Laucala Bay in Fiji. He died of natural causes aged 28 on 15 October 1960 and was buried in the military section of the Suva Cemetery.Engineering mechanic 1st class Russell James Craig Moore enlisted with the Royal New Zealand Navy on 28 July 1955. He was posted to the survey vessel HMNZS Lachlan and while on the ship in Pago Pago American Samoa he died in an accident aged a very young 19 on 9 July 1956. He was buried in the naval section of Satala Cemetery in Pago Pago.Darroch Ball: When will the remaining repatriation ceremonies take place?Hon RON MARK: I can report to the House that there will be three more tranches of service personnel who will be repatriated: 29 service personnel and one child will come from Malaysia and one service person from Singapore. They will be repatriated as one group and will arrive in New Zealand in mid-late August 2018. Two service personnel from the United Kingdom will be returned to New Zealand in mid-September 2018 and two more service personnel from the Republic of Korea will be returned to New Zealand in mid-October 2018. All of the ceremonies will follow the same format as that that was conducted yesterday and will include senior representatives of the nation senior defence officers and officials and representatives from the veterans' organisations and communities.Darroch Ball: What additional support is the Government providing to the families?Hon RON MARK: The coalition Government is funding the disinterment repatriation and reinternment of the deceased at no cost to families—Hon Gerry Brownlee: You appropriated it.Hon RON MARK: The contribution of $1000 will be made towards a memorial—Hon Gerry Brownlee: You appropriated it.Hon RON MARK: —for those reinterred in a public or private ceremony. The New Zealand Defence Force Mr Brownlee has assigned liaison officers to the families and will also offer additional support to reinternments if families request it such as pallbearers a chaplain and a bugler. If families do not wish for their loved ones to be repatriated then the Government will continue to care for their graves overseas.SPEAKER: Before we move to the next question during question No. 8 there was an interchange between myself and the Hon Stuart Nash. I twice used an expression which upon reflection I think was inappropriate. I want to apologise to Mr Nash and to the House.