July 01, 2022
Veterans still in warrior culture
Don’t call us broken.
That’s the response of veterans’ advocate Dion Jensen to a new mental health and wellbeing policy framework for veterans and their families, Te Arataki mō te Hauora Ngākau mō ngā Mōrehu a Tū me ō rātou Whānau.
The framework is a response to the He Ara Oranga report of the 2018 inquiry into mental health and addiction, which identified veterans as a vulnerable group with high rates of mental health and addiction issues.
The Lion Academy founder told Radio Waatea talkback host Matthew Tukaki just because people hang up their uniforms doesn’t mean they stop being warriors.
“We have the skills, the ability and the tools to win this battle ourelves. ASll we are asking is give us those tools and resources. Give us access to those going through the process, we will get ourselves through it and in between that we will come trhough and help everyone else. We are doing it for cops, we are doing it for correctional staff that are stabbed in the face 12 times like they did last week. We are doing this for every warrior culture around the world. We don’t need a hand out,” Mr Jensen says.
He says the framework is a good start, but those with the solutions need to be part of the process rather than being shut out, as happens now.
He also wants the definition of veteran to be brought in line with Australia to include all those who have served in the armed forces, rather than being just those who have been in conflicts which are officially defined as active duty.