War medals fall outside Protected Objects Act
Following the confirmation of expert opinion, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage has found Mr Les Munro’s war medals
and memorabilia are not protected New Zealand objects covered by the Protected Objects Act 1975,
David Butts, Manager Heritage Operations Ministry for Culture and Heritage said today. “We have spoken with Mr Munro and
were pleased to share this information with him, and to note no further action by the Ministry is required,” David Butts
said.
“Mr Munro’s medals are at a London auction house for auction on 25 March and we wanted to clarify the situation before
then.
“Mr Munro has put his medals and log books into the auction to raise money for the upkeep of the Bomber Command Memorial
– the war memorial commemorating the 55,573 airmen of Bomber Command who died during World War II.
“We have assured Mr Munro we respect this decision, and his generosity. Our finding in no way diminishes our respect for
the significance of the medals earned by Mr Munro. These are important taonga in their own right,” David Butts said.
ENDS