New Zealand Army

The New Zealand Army is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). It is commanded by the Chief of Army from Army Headquarters in Wellington, while forces on operations come under Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand at Trentham. The small, light regular force is reinforced by the Army Reserve. The army has no main battle tanks and no aviation of its own; battlefield helicopter support comes from No. 3 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which flies NH90 and AW109 helicopters.

Most combat units belong to the 1st (New Zealand) Brigade, headquartered at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North. Linton houses the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (1 RNZIR), which absorbed Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles in December 2025, along with the 16th Field Regiment, the 2nd Engineer Regiment, the 1st Command Support Regiment and the 2nd Combat Service Support Battalion. The 2nd/1st Battalion, RNZIR and the 3rd Combat Service Support Battalion are based at Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch. Reserve infantry is grouped into three regional battalions of the RNZIR. Waiouru Military Camp in the central North Island hosts the main training ranges. The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment, based at Papakura near Auckland, serves under the joint Special Operations Component Command.

The motorised infantry operates the NZLAV, a variant of the General Dynamics LAV III armed with a 25 mm cannon, and Thales Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles. Special forces use Bushmaster and Supacat HMT patrol vehicles. Logistics units use Rheinmetall MAN HX-series trucks, and VAMTAC utility vehicles are on order to replace part of the Unimog and Pinzgauer fleet. The 16th Field Regiment fires L119 105 mm light guns, and infantry units have 60 mm and 81 mm mortars, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles and M72 rockets. Small arms include the LMT MARS-L rifle, Glock 17 pistol and FN Minimi and MAG 58 machine guns. The army has had no dedicated ground-based air defence since its Mistral missiles were withdrawn.

The army's tasks are the defence of New Zealand, security and disaster relief in the South Pacific, and coalition and United Nations missions. It has deployed to the Solomon Islands, Tonga and other Pacific states. New Zealand soldiers fought in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam, and later served in East Timor and Afghanistan, where the SAS carried out combat operations and a provincial reconstruction team served in Bamyan, and in Iraq, where army trainers worked at Camp Taji. Under Operation Tieke, extended in 2026, NZDF personnel train Ukrainian soldiers in Europe and provide intelligence, logistics and liaison support. Small contingents serve in the Sinai, the Golan Heights, South Sudan and Korea.

In the near term, the 2025 Defence Capability Plan funds the Network Enabled Army programme for digital communications and command systems, an upgrade of the Javelin, counter-drone systems, and new vehicles, including upgraded NZLAV turrets and replacement recovery vehicles. Replacement of the NZLAV fleet and of the 105 mm light gun is planned for later years.