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New Zealand at war
In his book New Zealanders at War, author and historian Michael King says war is “an indelible print on the fabric of New Zealand’s past”. The country has played its part in many of the major wars fought in the 19th and 20th century. Yet, with the exception of the New Zealand Wars fought between 1845 and 1872, none of the wars were of New Zealand’s own making or fought on its soil.
Rather than making the most of the country’s geographical isolation and opting for neutrality, New Zealanders readily took up arms to defend freedom in countries thousands of miles away. Hundreds of thousands of men and women enlisted in conflicts such as the Boer War, the First and Second World War, the Korean War, Vietnam War and others.
Anti-war New Zealand
While New Zealand history was created on the battlefields, back home another interesting story developed. Many Kiwis readily joined the war efforts, but there were some who did not believe in fighting. Archibald Baxter was one of the most famous ones and, as a conscientious objector, spent time in prison rather than join the army overseas. His wife Millicent Baxter also wrote about her experiences.
The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography has an entry on Archibald Baxter.
Also see our feature on New Zealand’s international relationships.
The wars turned ordinary New Zealanders into heroes but the number of casualties was high. With 18,500 dead and nearly 50,000 wounded, the country’s casualty rate at the front line was higher than that of Belgium in the First World War.
During the Second World War, around 194,000 men and 10,000 women had served in the armed forces at home and overseas with 11,625 killed. This was a ratio of 6684 dead per million in the population – the highest rate in the Commonwealth. Britain suffered 5123 deaths and Australia 3232 per million population.
Those who gave their lives in New Zealand’s name are commemorated on ANZAC Day and Armistice Day.
We recommend: New Zealanders at War resources
On this web site:
- See our Heritage section - we have two guides to help you find more information about New Zealanders in the First World War and the Second World War
- Also see our news backgrounders on Disasters, Wars and Terrorism
Our Internet Gateway recommends the following:
- Wars and conflicts
- New Zealand military web sites
- Worldwar-1.net and Worldwar-2.net - comprehensive information about both wars, including major campaigns, timelines and countries involved in the conflict.
- www.newzealandwars.co.nz - web site on the causes, campaigns and outcomes of the New Zealand wars fought in the 19th century.
- Victoria University in Wellington has created a great resource on New Zealanders in the Second World War.
- NZhistory.net also has a detailed resource on New Zealand at war.
- Warscholar.com has created a timeline of war and conflict across the globe from 3000BC to today.
Browse the resources in our libraries using our catalogue.
