This section provides information about how to apply for military service records from NZDF Archives, what to expect from the files and where to go for further information.

NZDF Archives

Preserving our Military Heritage for New Zealand

NZDF Archives at Trentham Military Camp is the repository for some 1.5 million personnel files relating to 420,000 New Zealand service personnel who served in New Zealand’s Military Forces. These files are an invaluable resource for documenting the social and military history of New Zealand. They provide a unique record of the military service of the men and women who defended our country at home and overseas.

NZDF Archives holds the files of all those who served in New Zealand’s military forces from the 1st January 1921 to the present day.

South African War (1899-1902) and First World War (1914-1918) files

Almost all of the files of those who served in the South African War and the First World War have been transferred to Archives New Zealand in Wellington. For information about these files please contact Archives New Zealand.

NZDF Archives continues to hold the files of only the relatively small number of South African and First World War veterans who continued to serve after 1st January 1921 or who re-enlisted to serve during the Second World War (1939-1945).