The Maori (Pioneer) Battalion was one of only three New Zealand Expeditionary Force formations – and the only battalion – to return from the First World War as a complete unit.
WW1 Home Front
Events In History
30 October 1918
Prohibition supporters presented Parliament with a petition containing more than 240,000 signatures demanding an end to the manufacture and sale of alcohol in New Zealand.
7 October 1917
Felix Graf von Luckner earned the epithet Der Seeteufel (the Sea Devil) for his exploits as captain of the German raider SMS Seeadler in 1916–17.
22 December 1916
Peter Fraser’s trial in the Wellington Magistrates’ Court was the sequel to a speech in which he attacked the government’s policy of military conscription.
16 November 1916
The Military Service Act passed on 1 August 1916 had made all healthy New Zealand men of military age (20 to 45) liable for active service overseas.
15 July 1915
The first large group of Gallipoli wounded to return to New Zealand arrived in Wellington on the troopship Willochra as part of a draft of around 300 men.
16 October 1914
Thousands of Wellingtonians rose before dawn and crowded vantage points around the harbour to watch as 10 grey-painted troopships, escorted by four warships, sailed to war.
13 August 1914
Sapper Robert Arthur Hislop was guarding the Parnell railway bridge in Auckland when he accidentally fell. He died from his injuries six days later, but it would take a century for Hislop to be officially recognised as the first New Zealand casualty of the Great War.
Articles
First World War - overview
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. This was a key event in sparking the Great War of 1914–18. Read the full article
Page 1 - New Zealand and the First World War
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. This was a key event in
Page 5 - The war at home
New Zealand played a small but useful part in the British Empire's war effort, and its essential war aim was achieved with the defeat of Germany and its allies in late 1918. New
Merchant marine
On 3 September New Zealand honours Merchant Navy Day. Here we explore the little-known but vital role played by the merchant marine during the First World War, when these civilian seafarers often found themselves in the front line of the war at sea. Read the full article
Page 7 - Home waters
The First World War had a dramatic impact on shipping to and from New
Schools and the First World War
Schools and children were quickly called into action at the outset of the First World War in 1914. Developing patriotic, fit and healthy citizens was seen as important to the survival of the country and the Empire. Hundreds of teachers joined the NZEF, including many from sole-teacher schools. Almost 200 never returned. Read the full article
Page 1 - Children, schools and the First World War
Schools and children were quickly called into action at the outset of the First World War in 1914. Developing patriotic, fit and healthy citizens was seen as important to the
Page 4 - The School Journal
During the First World War the New Zealand School Journal played an important role in encouraging patriotism, self-sacrifice, obedience and support for the war effort among
Page 6 - Supporting the war effort
During the war children were encouraged to be ‘cheerful’ and ‘helpful’, to ease the worry and sorrow of the mothers and wives of soldiers. There were also many practical ways in
Page 7 - Teachers who served
Whether as school cadet officers or supporters of saluting the flag, teachers did much to set the moral tone of New Zealand schools before and during the war. Many hundreds were
The Post and Telegraph Department at war
The Post and Telegraph Department (the government agency from which New Zealand Post, Telecom and Kiwibank are descended) was crucial to this country’s participation in the First World War. Read the full article
Page 1 - The Post and Telegraph Department at war
The Post and Telegraph Department (the government agency from which New Zealand Post, Telecom and Kiwibank are descended) was crucial to this country’s participation in the First
Page 3 - The Post and Telegraph Department in 1914
In the early 20th century, the Post and Telegraph Department's reach extended throughout the Dominion, and it was to stretch even further after war broke out in August
First World War farewells
Between 1914 and 1918, New Zealanders farewelled more than 100,000 men as they headed off to a military training camp or went straight to war. Read the full article
Page 1 - First World War farewells
Between 1914 and 1918, New Zealanders farewelled more than 100,000 men as they headed off to a military training camp or went straight to war.
Supporting the war effort
Thousands of New Zealanders donated money, goods or time to help those affected by the First World War. Read the full article
Page 1 - Supporting the war effort, 1914-1919
Thousands of New Zealanders donated money, goods or time to help those affected by the First World War.
Page 2 - Overview: 1914-1919
The sacrifices of the men at the front, and the plight of those living in the war zones, drove many New Zealanders to donate money, goods and time to help the war effort. By 1920,
Page 3 - Who were the volunteers?
The outbreak of war saw New Zealanders from all walks of life donate money, goods and time to fund-raising
Page 5 - Supporting Belgium: Queen Elisabeth Medal
The Belgian government created the Medaille de la Reine Elisabeth, or Queen Elisabeth Medal, to honour Belgian and foreign women who had performed outstanding services in aid of
Page 6 - Further information
Books and website links relating to war relief and aid work in New Zealand during the First World War,
First World War laws and regulations
An annotated index of New Zealand wartime laws and regulations 1914-21 Read the full article
Page 1 - Index of wartime laws and regulations, 1914-21
An annotated index of New Zealand wartime laws and regulations
First World War by the numbers
This article provides a clearly written and carefully argued statistical survey of New Zealand’s military contribution to the First World War. Read the full article
Page 1 - First World War by the numbers
This article provides a clearly written and carefully argued statistical survey of New Zealand’s military contribution to the First World
The Public Service at war - overview
The New Zealand public service played a central part in New Zealand’s war effort, both at home and abroad Read the full article
Page 1 - The Public Service at war - overview
The New Zealand public service played a central part in New Zealand’s war effort, both at home and
NZ Railways at war
The railway system and its workforce was one of the most valuable assets available to the New Zealand state to support the national effort during the First World War Read the full article
Page 1 - NZ Railways at war
The railway system and its workforce was one of the most valuable assets available to the New Zealand state to support the national effort during the First World
Page 3 - NZ Railways in 1914
On the other side of the world, New Zealand’s rail network was a small link in the vast wartime supply
Page 5 - Manpower challenges at home
How did New Zealand Railways (NZR) keep up its massive manpower commitments during the First World War, while still maintaining services to its
Page 6 - Railways war memorials
Railway workers honoured the service and sacrifice of their colleagues in numerous
First World War homecomings
New Zealand troops began returning from overseas in small numbers in late 1914. The first arrivals, from Samoa, were followed by many more from Egypt and Turkey, and later from England and France. Read the full article
Page 1 - First World War homecomings
New Zealand troops began returning from overseas in small numbers in late 1914. The first arrivals, from Samoa, were followed by many more from Egypt and Turkey, and later from
The public service in 1914
In 1914 the public service employed 33,000 permanent employees, including railway workers, post and telegraph staff, teachers, and police, plus 16,000 temporary employees, mainly in public works and railways. Read the full article
Page 1 - The public service in 1914
In 1914 the public service employed 33,000 permanent employees, including railway workers, post and telegraph staff, teachers, and police, plus 16,000 temporary employees, mainly
Getting the men to war
The public service was the engine of New Zealand’s military war effort between 1914 and 1918. It took charge of signing up – and later conscripting – men for service abroad, training them, clothing them, housing them and transporting them to the northern hemisphere, where they became the responsibility of the British military. Read the full article
Page 1 - Getting the men to war
The public service was the engine of New Zealand’s military war effort between 1914 and 1918. It took charge of signing up – and later conscripting – men for service abroad,
Feeding Britain
From March 1915 the British government purchased New Zealand’s entire output of frozen meat to help ensure a regular flow of food to the British public and the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium. Read the full article
Page 1 - Feeding Britain
From March 1915 the British government purchased New Zealand’s entire output of frozen meat to help ensure a regular flow of food to the British public and the British
Maintaining public services during the war
The government immediately reset its priorities on the outbreak of war in August 1914. Everything else was subordinated to winning the war. Read the full article
Page 1 - Maintaining public services
The government immediately reset its priorities on the outbreak of war in August 1914. Everything else was subordinated to winning the war.
Policing the war effort
In 1914 the New Zealand government moved quickly to strengthen the rule of law and keep the country focused on winning the war Read the full article
Page 1 - Policing the war effort
In 1914 the New Zealand government moved quickly to strengthen the rule of law and keep the country focused on winning the
Repatriation of returned servicemen
Reintegrating tens of thousands of men into the civilian population at the end of the war presented a new set of problems Read the full article
Page 1 - Repatriation of returned servicemen
Reintegrating tens of thousands of men into the civilian population at the end of the war presented a new set of
Honouring public servants
The public service as a whole, government departments and individual public servants found a myriad of ways to honour their employees’ and colleagues’ war service. Read the full article
Page 1 - Honouring public servants
The public service as a whole, government departments and individual public servants found a myriad of ways to honour their employees’ and colleagues’ war
Rolls of honour and obituaries
Government rolls of honour and obituaries published at the end of the First World War. Read the full article
New Zealanders who resisted the First World War
Lists of men who for a variety of reasons refused to serve in the First World War. Read the full article
Page 1 - New Zealanders who resisted the First World War
Lists of men who for a variety of reasons refused to serve in the First World
Page 3 - Convictions for sedition 1915-18
The War Regulations Act 1914 allowed citizens to be arrested and charged with sedition for making ‘disloyal’ or ‘seditious’ statements, either verbally or in print. This page
Recruiting and conscription
Recruiting men for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was among the New Zealand government’s most pressing priorities during the four difficult years of the First World War. Tens of thousands were needed every year to keep the NZEF up to strength, and finding them presented major logistical, bureaucratic and tactical challenges to those responsible. Read the full article
Page 1 - Recruiting and conscription
Recruiting men for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was among the New Zealand government’s most pressing priorities during the four difficult years of the First World
Biographies
Scotsman Malcolm Fraser was one of the most important public servants in New Zealand’s military war effort. As government statistician he was directly responsible for devising and administering the conscription system.
As General Officer Commanding the troops based in New Zealand, Alfred Robin was the person with the most direct overall responsibility for New Zealand’s military war effort other than the Minister of Defence
Robert Triggs served as Assistant Public Service Commissioner and Public Trustee during the First World War
Mary Mulcahy was one of the many women who worked on the conscription ballot for Government Statistician Malcolm Fraser in the second half of the war
Main image: The homecoming from Gallipoli, by Walter Bowring
Painting by Walter Armiger Bowring (1916) depicting the return of New Zealand's first wounded soldiers from Gallipoli.
