Government announces $250,000 to help military veterans with post-traumatic stress

The Government has announced $250,000 to help military veterans with post-traumatic stress.

Veterans Minister Ron Mark said the funding for the Returned Services Association and the No Duff Charitable Trust would be locked in for four years.

"The RSA and No Duff are doing outstanding work supporting our veterans," he said.

"Today's announcement is an acknowledgement that their work is important, and will give both organisations assurances to continue their support services.

"New Zealand now has around 41,000 veterans, around 30,000 of those are contemporary veterans from conflicts such as Vietnam, East Timor and Afghanistan.

"We're seeing cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), and many of our younger men and women are returning from operational service in need of help."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern held her first press conference this afternoon since returning from Europe.

Ardern spent a week in London, Paris, and Berlin, seeking support for a free trade deal with the EU and for a Commonwealth trade agreement.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, speaking at her regular weekly press conference, said regular funding introduced by the previous Labour-NZ First Government had been scrapped by the National-led Government, which had replaced it with an "ad-hoc" funding system.

The new funding commitment, which would be in next month's Budget, would give them some certainty to carry out their work, she said.