The position of
Minister in charge of War Pensions was created during the
First World War, with the earliest reference to that role in
Hansard dated at June 1916 although it is unknown exactly when the first appointment was made. The earliest known holder was
James Allen, then the
Minister of Defence. Most subsequent war pensions ministers were also concurrently appointed as defence minister; the only exceptions were
Arthur Kinsella,
Michael Cullen,
Roger Sowry and
Don McKinnon. The portfolio was renamed '''Minister of Veterans' Affairs''' on 1 September 1999. This followed the passage of the Veterans' Affairs Act 1999, which transferred responsibility for war pensions to the
New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand is a semi-autonomous unit within NZDF which provides administrative support to the Minister. The portfolio title was changed again to
Minister for Veterans on 26 October 2017. == List of ministers ==