Dear Veteran and Whanau

In 2022, the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association (RNZRSA) partnered with Acupuncture NZ to develop the country’s first ‘Veteran Ready’ Certification Process. This initiative aims to build trust between veterans and trained acupuncturists by ensuring that services are culturally and militarily safe for veterans and their families/whānau.

To achieve certification, practitioners were required to complete 20 webinars hosted on the PsychArmor website, created by U.S. military experts. The process also included testing knowledge of two auricular acupuncture protocols: Battlefield Acupuncture, developed by the U.S. military for pain management, and the NADA protocol, commonly used for addiction treatment and widely practiced in both the United States and New Zealand.

In March/April 2025, I was an acupuncturist in a pilot study at the Porirua RSA, treating veterans for pain and mental health. The veterans were mostly skeptical but by the end of 6 weeks of treatment, sang their praises and shared how they had benefited from acupuncture with the leaders of the local RSA. It is now hoped that RSAs across NZ will fund acupuncture treatments. I look forward to helping more veterans and hopefully meeting those I did treat once more.