Bishop Vercoe fights Agent Orange from grave

BISHOP Te Whakahuihui Vercoe is fighting for the rights of Maori Vietnam War veterans from beyond the grave.

The former head of New Zealand's Anglican Church who died aged 79 in September after a lengthy battle with brain cancer gave a chilling deathbed testimony pleading that his landmark $170 million Waitangi Tribunal claim for the vets shouldn't die with him.

"When it was clear that he wasn't going to live, we videotaped a deposition to be used in the proceedings and when we switched the cameras off he sat me down with him and his exact last instructions were, `This has to go on for the wives and the children'," the lawyer spearheading the claim, Paul Harman, last night told Sunday News..

Bishop Vercoe lodged the Waitangi Tribunal claim on behalf of Kiwi Vietnam veterans not covered by the government's controversial Agent Orange compensation package.

Only vets suffering from five recognised diseases are entitled to any compensation under the package, leaving thousands out in the cold.

"There are a lot of veterans who feel let down by the package and the Bishop saw this as his way to right the wrongs of the past 40 years," Harman said.

"Before he died, he asked that three new claimants be added to keep it going after he was gone. So this hasn't gone away. We are rewriting the claim to take into account new developments and are also looking to list and document the grievances as evidence."

Agent Orange was used to kill foliage which provided cover for the Viet Cong in the war. It also destroyed the health of American troops and their allies, including New Zealand soldiers.

A Sunday News investigation last year uncovered medical tests which showed the defoliant caused genetic damage in up to 3500 Kiwi vets. The DNA damage was suspected to be so bad it could affect multiple generations with cancer, spina bifida and a host of other genetic diseases.

While under law, only Maori veterans can be included in the $170 million treaty claim, Harman says Bishop Vercoe had made it clear any monetary win would be used for the entire veteran community.

"It will be added to the Trust, where veterans and their families can turn to if they need funding for the conditions not covered by the government," Harman said. In June this year Sunday News spoke to Bishop Vercoe about the treaty claim, in what would be his final newspaper interview.

"My goal is to protect our children and wives because, if the government does not care about them, who will? And what would become of those children born without limbs?" Vercoe said at the time.

The Vietnam Veterans Action Group will hold huis about the claim throughout New Zealand later this month: November 12 Porirua RSA, November 13 Wanganui RSA, November 15 Manurewa RSA, November 17 Whangerei RSA.

For further details contact Ian Barnes 021 0241 9434.