New Zealand Goes to War

New Zealand has been involved in a number of international conflicts.

In 1862 Colonial Defence Act was the basis for a regular New Zealand Army, it was a part
of the British defence force. This meant that during this time New Zealand’s attitude was
the empire’s enemies were our enemies. It was this mindset that led to our involvement in
the Boer War. This was a war fought in modern day South Africa in 1899. NZ fought
alongside British troops against the two independent Boer republics: The Orange Free
State and the South African Republic. NZ sent 6500 troop to this war; 229 New Zealanders
were killed either in action, accidents, or by diseases.
The next international conflict that NZ fought in was World War I (WW1). This war went from
1914-1918 and was known at the time as the Great War. NZ entered the war on with
Great Britain and fought alongside the Allies made up of British Empire, Russia, France,
Japan, and the USA. We were fighting the Central Powers made up of Germany, Austro-
Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. Italy initially fought with these
countries but switched sides during the war. During WW1 NZ fought in Samoa, Egypt,
Turkey, Palestine, Luxembourg, and Belgium. WW1 was a significant war for NZ. It was
during this time that ANZAC’s were created at Gallipoli. It helped shaped out foreign
policy for the 1920’s and had a lasting impact on our identity.
On the 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, and, on the 3 September, war
was declared by Britain and France. We declared war immediately afterwards. We
entered the war on the side of the Allies made up of the British Empire, France, USSR
(Soviet Union), USA and China. We were fighting the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and
Japan. World War II (WW2) lasted from 1939 to 1945 and ended with the dropping of
atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the USA. World War II was by far
the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, a majority
being civilians. During this war we fought in Greece, Crete, Libya, Egypt, Italy, and around
the Pacific. WW2 had a large impact on NZ. During this war the Māori Battalion was
created with the help of Sir Apirana Ngata. Avondale College was also built during the
war as a US Naval Hospital. When WW2 ended NZ decided to take a more independent
focus on our defence. It also created a new world order and led to the Cold War
between the USA and USSR.
The Japanese expansion into the Pacific during the war had highlighted the limitations of
our alliance with the UK. This led to a closer relationship with the USA. This relationship was
formalised in the Australia, New Zealand, and United States Security Treaty (ANZUS) in
1951. Our new focus on Asia and the Pacific led to our involvement in the Korean War
1950-1953. This was a war fought between North Korea, backed by the USSR and South
Korea, backed by the USA. We sent 4700 New Zealanders to Korea under the command
of the UN and the UK. We also sent 1300 on Navy frigates between 1953-1957 to help
uphold the armistice. 45 New Zealanders lost their lives during this conflict.
The next large conflict NZ was involved in was the Vietnam War. More than 3000 New
Zealand military and civilian personnel served in Vietnam between 1963 and 1975. At its
peak in 1968, New Zealand’s military force numbered only 548. Thirty-seven men died
while on active service and 187 were wounded. Two civilians serving with the surgical and
Red Cross teams also lost their lives. The Vietnam War was fought between the communist
Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the US-backed Republic of
Vietnam in the south, it ended with the defeat of South Vietnam in April 1975. More than
one million soldiers and perhaps two million civilians died during the war. This was the first
war in which New Zealand did not fight alongside its traditional ally, Great Britain. Instead,
our participation reflected this country's increasingly strong defence ties with the United
States and Australia. New Zealand's involvement in Vietnam was highly controversial and
attracted protest and condemnation at home and abroad. Few New Zealanders waved
placards in the streets in 1965, but by the end of the decade thousands were marching
against the war. For a growing number of New Zealanders, their country's participation in
the conflict triggered a re-examination of its foreign policy and identity. The controversy
around our involvement in the Vietnam War led to a revaluation of our involvement in
international conflicts and afterwards we tended to focus more on UN peacekeeping
missions.
Peacekeeping is when countries send military or police personnel to places that have
had a war or conflict to try to keep the peace. Peacekeeping missions are usually led by
the United Nations or other international organisations. New Zealand has been involved in
a number of peacekeeping missions around the world. Our first peacekeeping mission
was in Kashmir, a contested region between India and Pakistan, from 1952-1976. We have
also sent troops to Egypt (1982-present), Rhodesia (1979-1980), Iraq (1988, 1990-1998, 2003-
present), Cambodia (1991-2005) , Somalia (1992-1995), Eastern Europe (1992-2007), East
Timor (1999-2003, 2006), the Solomon Islands (2003-2013), and Tonga (2006). Our largest
peacekeeping deployment was in Afghanistan in the 2000’s after the 9/11 attacks on the
USA. We are currently deployed in the Middle East, Korea, and South Sudan. We also
have some people engaged in logistics in Antarctica.
Our attitudes towards and reasons for participation in international conflicts have
changed over time and this has had an impact on our society and identity. Our
involvement in international conflicts has often been based on our own political, strategic,
economic, and social interests; this is especially the case in the Pacific. The NZ
government believes that in an increasingly connected world we need to be a part of
international peacekeeping missions and conflicts in order to help others, but also protect
ourselves. NZ is working to take a more proactive and strategic approach to our
peacekeeping activities. This will allow us to match our peace support work with our own
international interests and priorities, with the Pacific remaining a key focus.