A services directory for veterans and service personnel has gone up online.
WeServed.NZ will provide information from a wide-range of organisations. Photo: RNZ / WeServe.NZ
WeServed.NZ is a first in this country and will provide information from a wide-range of organisations, which provide assistance and advice for veterans and those still in the defence force.
It's the brainchild of the Ranfurly Veterans' Trust.
There are approximately 30,000 veterans in this country and about 14,000 people in the Defence Force, some of whom are veterans of overseas deployments themselves.
Ranfurly Veterans Trust chairperson David McGregor said the idea came from a perceived need to have an easily-accessible place providing for the needs of veterans.
"Whether it's health and wellbeing or whether it's simply association, old regimental associations and things like that but one site that you can go to and the directory would present itself and you navigate your way to a home page."
Mr McGregor said, while the initial aim was to link veterans to health and welfare services, the long-term potential goes beyond that.
"Socialising those veterans post-Vietnam who have been lost to the system in a sense and enabling them to use the website to find mates and tell stories and as I say socialise."
A team of people have given their time to get the website up and running.
Project Lead Michelle Boag said so-far 30 organisations have joined WeServed.NZ to provide assistance for veterans.
Obviously, if we have a lot of people coming to the website to find out about activities that are happening in that space then the more information we have, and the more organisations we have, the more useful it is going to be."
The new website is a collaboration with Veterans' Affairs.
