History

The New Zealand General Service Medal 2002 was established by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand by Royal Warrant in 2002. It was created to reward services rendered by members of the New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand civilians during war, warlike, and non-warlike operations since January 1, 2000.

There are five different versions of the New Zealand General Service Medal 2002. Each is awarded in recognition of participation in a separate operation and has a unique ribbon.

The Silver Medal (Solomon Islands) was instituted in July 2002. It is awarded to military and civil personnel who served in the Solomon Islands between 2000-2002, as well as to those who served with the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) since 2003. The ribbon is comprised of the colours of the Solomon flag: green, blue, and yellow.

The Silver Medal (Afghanistan) was instituted in July 2002. It is awarded to military and civil personnel who served in Afghanistan from December 2001 in either “primary” (Afghanistan borders) or “secondary” (base) locations. Different medal ribbons are used for the primary and secondary areas. The Silver Medal (Afghanistan, for primary operations) ribbon is black, red and green, the national colours of Afghanistan. The Silver Medal (Afghanistan, for secondary operations) ribbon is also black, red, and green, but has a narrow light blue strip on each side to represent sea and air service.

The Silver Medal (Iraq 2003) was established in 2004 to reward military and civil personnel who served in Iraq since May 27, 2003. The ribbon is composed of black, light green, white, and red stripes to represent the national colours of Iraq.

The Silver Medal 2002 (Timor-Leste) was instituted in 2007. It is awarded to members of the New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Police, and New Zealand government for service in Timor-Leste from April 2006 to December 2012. The colours of the ribbon represent the colours of the National Flag of the Democratic Republic of East Timor/Timor-Leste: red, yellow, black, and white.

The Silver Medal 2002 (Korea) was instituted on September 11, 2008. It is awarded to members of the New Zealand National Defence Force who have served in Korea at the UN Command Military Armistice Commission or the UN Honour Guard Company since January 1, 2001. It recognises service to maintain military stability between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The ribbon is composed of light blue, yellow, and red stripes. The blue and red represent the colours used in the flags of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.