New Zealand Army
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New Zealand Army (Maori: Ngāti Tumatauenga) is the land armed force of the New Zealand military and comprises around 4,500 regular personnel and 2,500 non-regulars and civilians. The main part of the army is divided into 2 Land Force Groups, plus force troops. Ngati Tumatauenga, the Maori name of the NZ Army loosely translates to the Tribe of the God of War. The NZ Army logo has been altered to include a traditional Maori hand combat weapon called a Taiaha, and has the words Ngati Tumatauenga below instead of NZ. Note the colours have been altered, as has the Crown surmounting the crest from the Imperial State Crown to St. Edward's Crown which also sits on the New Zealand coat of arms.
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[edit] Structure of the New Zealand Army
The New Zealand Army's combat units fall under the command of the Land Component Commander. Forces under the the Land Component Commander include 2 Land Force Group and 3 Land Force Group and 1 NZ SAS Group. The Land Component Commander is under the command of HQ Joint Forces New Zealand at Trentham in Upper Hutt.
Tactical air transport for the army is provided by No. 3 Squadron of the RNZAF.
In the event of full mobilisation and deployment, the three infantry battalions plus the other necessary combat elements would form a brigade group, which exists on paper as 7 Brigade. HQ 2 Land Force Group would, if needed, form HQ 7 Brigade
In addition to the combat units shown in the figure, the Land Operations Training Centre encompasses the main army trade schools:
- Combat School
- School of Artillery
- Logistics Operations School
- School of Tactics
- Royal New Zealand School of Signals
- Trade Training School
- School of Military Intelligence and Security
- Joint Catering School
- School of Military Engineering, 2 Engineer Regiment
[edit] Regular Army
- Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
- New Zealand SAS
- Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
- Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery
- Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers
- Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals
- Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment
- Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps
- Royal New Zealand Army Nursing Corps
- Royal New Zealand Army Dental Corps
- Corps of Royal New Zealand Military Police
- New Zealand Intelligence Corps
- Joint Services Fire Training School
- New Zealand Army Band
[edit] Territorial Force
The modern Territorial Force is divided into 6 battalion groups. Each of these is made up of smaller units of different specialities.
| Regiment | Infantry | Armoured | Artillery | Engineers | Logistics | Signals | Medical | Band |
| 3rd Auckland (Countess of Ranfurly's Own) and Northland Battalion Group | √ | x | √ | √ | √ | x | √ | √ |
| 2nd Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Battalion Group | √ | x | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| 6th Hauraki Battalion Group | √ | √ | x | x | √ | x | √ | x |
| 4th Otago and Southland Battalion Group | √ | x | x | x | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| 7th Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) and Hawke's Bay Battalion Group | √ | x | √ | x | √ | x | √ | √ |
| 5th Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Battalion Group | √ | x | x | √ | √ | x | √ | √ |
TF regiments prepare and provide trained individuals in order to top-up and sustain operational and non-operational units to meet directed outputs. TF regiments perform the function of a training unit, preparing individuals to meet prescribed outputs. The six regiments command all Territorial Force personnel within their region except those posted to formation/command headquarters, Military Police (MP) Company, Force Intelligence Group (FIG) or 1 New Zealand Special Air Services (NZSAS) Group. At a minimum, each regiment consists of a headquarters, a recruit induction training (RIT) company, at least one rifle company, and a number of combat support/combat service support companies or platoons.
3/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment exists as a cadre. If needed, it would be raised to full strength through the regimentation of the Territorial Force infantry units.
[edit] Major Equipment
Armoured Vehicles
- 105 x NZ Light Armoured Vehicle (NZLAV)
- 352x Pinzgauer Light Operational Vehicle (LOV)
Missile Systems
- 12 x Mistral anti-aircraft missile
- 24 x Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) launchers
Support Vehicle
Fire Support/Artillery
- 34 x 105 mm L118 Light Gun
- 50 x 81 mm mortar
- 42 x 84 mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle M3
- M72 Light Armour Weapon
Weapons
- Browning 12.7 mm M2 machine gun
- L7A2 FN MAG 58 7.62 mm GPMG
- C9 Minimi 5.56 mm Light Machine Gun
- M203 grenade launcher
- F88 Austeyr 5.56 mm assault rifle
- SIG P226 9 mm pistol
[edit] M113 Replacement
New Zealand decided in 2003 to replace its existing fleet of M113 Armored Personnel Carriers, purchased in the 1960s, with the LAVIII [1], and the M113s were decommissioned by the end of 2004. An agreement made to sell the M113s via an Australian weapons dealer in February 2006 had to be cancelled when the US State Department refused permission for New Zealand to sell the M113s under a contract made when the vehicles were initially purchased. [2]
[edit] History
- For more details on this topic, see Military history of New Zealand.
War had been an integral part of the life and culture of the Māori people. The Musket Wars dominated the first years of European trade and settlement. The first European settlers in the Bay of Islands formed a volunteer militia from which some New Zealand army units trace their origin. British forces and Māori fought in various New Zealand Wars starting in the north of the country in 1845, and culminating in major campaign in the Waikato in the mid 1860s, during which settler forces were used with great effect. The New Zealand army sent forces to the Boer War.
In World War I New Zealand sent an expeditionary force (1NZEF) of soldiers who fought, with Australians, as the ANZACs at Gallipoli. A New Zealand Division was then formed which fought on the Western Front. In addition Mounted Rifles fought in Palestine.
In World War II 2NZEF fought in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy. Following Japan's entry into the war, a third New Zealand division saw action in the Pacific, seizing a number of islands from the Japanese. Smaller largerly New Zealand special forces unit, such as the original Long Range Desert Group in North Africa and Z-Force in the Pacific also distinguished themselves.
In addition to the two divisions overseas, the Army raised three others at home during the Second World War. 1st Division was formed in the Northern Military District, 4th in the Central Military District, and 5th in the South. They were disbanded after the danger of invasion receded.
The New Zealand Army was formally formed from the New Zealand Military Forces following the Second World War. Attention focused on preparing a third Expeditionary Force potentially for service against the Soviets. Compulsory Military Training was introduced to man the force, which was initially division-sized. However succeeding governments reduced the force first to two brigades, and then a single one, preferring to allocate many of the available resources to maintaining the New Zealand infantry battalion in the Malaysia-Singapore area, (that battalion, designated 1st Battalion RNZIR by that time, was brought home in 1989).
Since World War II the New Zealand army has fought in the Korean War, the Malaysian Emergency, the Indonesian confrontation, the Vietnam war, East Timor, and the 2001 Afghanistan War.
[edit] Dress
New Zealand Army uniforms have historically followed the British pattern with the high crowned "lemon squeezer" hat as the most visible national distinction. This was adopted by the Wellington Regiment about 1912 and became general issue for all New Zealand units during the latter stages of World War I. The different branches of service were distinguished by coloured pugarees or wide bands around the base of the crown (blue and red for artillery, green for mounted rifles, khaki and red for infantry etc). The "lemon squeezer" was worn to a certain extent during World War II, although often replaced by more convenient forage caps or berets. Modern field wear is the camouflage pattern worn by most armies with bush hats or berets according to occasion.
In recent years a number of distinctive New Zealand features have appeared. The "lemon squeezer", after being in abeyance since the 1950s, has been reintroduced for parade dress where it is usually worn with a version of the khaki "no 2" service dress of the British Army. Officer cadets and some bands wear this headdress with a scarlet and blue full dress uniform. A wide brimmed khaki hat with green pugaree, of a pattern formerly worn by the New Zealand Mounted Rifle (cavalry) regiments, has replaced the British style peaked cap as service dress headdress for all branches. The sashes worn by sergeants are now dark blue with white Māori motifs in place of the former British red. Short Māori cloaks are sometimes worn by senior officers as a mark of distinction on occasions of special ceremony. The British style mess uniform is still worn by officers and senior NCOs for formal evening occasions. A universal scarlet and blue pattern has recently replaced the various regimental and corps mess uniforms previously worn.
- See also: British Army Uniform
[edit] Deployments
The New Zealand Army currently participates in three major overseas deployments:
- Afghanistan - 123 personnel are attached to the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan Province
- Timor-Leste - An infantry company from 2/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is deployed in East Timor under Australian command.
- Solomon Islands - An infantry company from 2/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is deployed alongside two Australian infantry companies as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands
- In addition, small numbers of NZ personnel are deployed on various United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world, and with the Multinational Force and Observers.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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 New Zealand Army  Royal New Zealand Navy |  Royal New Zealand Air Force |
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