Compulsory military service has been adopted in New Zealand on a number of occasions. Under the Militia Ordinances of 1845 and 1858 it was enacted that European males should be trained to form an effective military force for the defence of lives and property within the colony. All between the ages of 18 and 60 were liable for service under the 1845 Ordinance, though on no account could they serve beyond a certain distance from their local police office. The 1858 Act of the New Zealand Parliament divided militiamen into three classes – the first class comprised unmarried men and widowers; the second class were married men and widowers with dependants; and the third, reserve men, were all men between 16 and 40 years of age. Whenever only a portion of the militia was required, volunteers were first called for and the balance was obtained by a ballot of the first class. Training was set at 168 hours a year, instead of 28 days as prescribed in the 1845 Ordinance. Militia districts were reduced from a 25–mile radius to 15 miles, and battalions were frequently called out in North Island districts. The militia was disbanded in 1872, although statutory provisions for its reconstitution remained in force.
From the Maori Wars until 1910 the volunteer system provided New Zealand's principal means of defence.After the South African War and particularly after the granting of Dominion status in 1907, colonists began to see international affairs from an Imperial viewpoint. They realised that any dispute involving Britain also concerned her Empire and that this might necessitate New Zealand troops serving overseas. As the volunteer system appeared to have outlasted its usefulness, the Council of Defence – formed in 1907–advised a return to compulsory enlistment “whereby the burden of service in the defence force will be more evenly distributed”. For some years prior to 1908 compulsory military training had been argued in the country and public opinion had been gradually won over. This was due, principally, to vigorous propaganda campaigns undertaken by the National Defence League, an organisation led by Lieutenant-Colonel Allen Bell, of the Auckland Mounted Rifles.
The Defence Act of 1909 created the Territorial Force; suggestions from Lord Kitchener and new ideas gained from experience were embodied in amendments passed in 1910 and 1912 respectively. Apart from certain organisational changes the chief legislative feature of the new force was a universal obligation to be trained in:
Junior cadets from 12 to 14 years of age. (Abolished 1912.)
Senior cadets from 14 to 18.
Territorials from 18 to 21, later extended to 25 years, when men were posted to the Reserve until they were 30.
Territorials were liable to serve in New Zealand only, but could volunteer for service overseas.
For administrative purposes New Zealand was divided into four military districts, each with its headquarters staff. Each district was in turn subdivided into four areas, each staffed by Regular officers and instructors. Rigorous courses were prescribed and training was strictly territorial and arranged at convenient times. General Godley's reports for 1911, 1912, and 1913 gave evidence of the speed and thoroughness with which the new scheme was put into effect.
Until after the passing of the 1909 Act there was no organised group to oppose the National Defence League. Opposition arose, however, immediately the implications of the Act became clear. A large number of youths were prosecuted for failing to register, and those who refused on conscientious grounds were fined or imprisoned. Defence Department officers were charged with the administration of the compulsory sections of the Act and their record here and in other aspects soon roused widespread public misgivings. By mid-1911, anti-conscriptionist and anti-militarist feelings found expression in the formation of the New Zealand Peace Council and the Passive Resister's Union. By 1913 the emerging political Labour Party added its weight to the opposition. There were increasing criticisms voiced in Parliament, from Labour members on ideological grounds, and from the Liberal Opposition on the grounds of unnecessary expenditure and alleged incompetence of the responsible military authorities. The outbreak of war in 1914, however, provided ample justification of the scheme.
By April 1914 the defence forces comprised 25,684 Territorials, 25,332 senior cadets, and 6,306 rifle club members, making in all 57,322 men out of a total population of 1,100,000. When war began in August 1914 the new defence system had been in existence for three years. The administrative arrangements were functioning smoothly, a fact which enabled the quick mobilisation and dispatch overseas of a strong expeditionary force. Although there was no lack of volunteers for overseas service the Government decided, in 1915, to form a national register of all males between the ages of 17 and 60. Volunteer enlistments appeared ample to supply all war requirements, but inequities in the system became apparent as larger reinforcements were required. The upshot was the Military Service Act of 1916, which established the Expeditionary Force Reserve consisting of every male European between the ages of 20 and 46 years. From this Reserve all future reinforcements were to be selected by ballot. Maoris were not specified, but power was given to extend the provisions to include the native race. Some tribes, notably the Arawas, Ngati Porou, and Ngapuhi, considered that compulsion should be extended to Maoris. The powerful Waikato, however, used their influence to prevent most of the young men from volunteering. The Government therefore decided that the Military Service Act should apply to natives, and three ballots were held in 1918, but the number of recruits thus produced was small. Voluntary enlistment was not abolished and, between 1916 and 1918, 26,000 men volunteered while 32,000 joined compulsorily. From the outbreak of war to the armistice, 124,211 men served with the Expeditionary Force out of an eligible male population of under 250,000.
After 1918 Territorial training was resumed but it was not until 1926 that its scale approached that laid down in the Defence Act. In 1930 compulsory military training was suspended for economy reasons, and the Territorial Force was reorganised on a basis of voluntary enlistment. The compulsory sections of the Defence Act were not invoked again, and in the nine months after the outbreak of war in September 1939, in which the voluntary system operated, approximately 60,000 men volunteered for service with the forces. Conscription was introduced in the National Service Emergency Regulations of 1940. Under these a General Reserve was formed – all males between 16 and 46 automatically becoming members. Voluntary enlistment ended on 22 July 1940 when all males between 18 and 46 became liable to be called up by ballot. New regulations, issued on 22 June 1942, made any member of any armed service liable to serve whenever required, whether in New Zealand or elsewhere and, as a matter of policy, no soldier under 21 was permitted beyond New Zealand. This wartime version of compulsory military service was administered by the National Service Department, which was responsible for recruiting and training men for service overseas with each of the three Services. The Department also built up a reserve force for home defence. By the end of 1941 the combined Services' strength (including Territorials) was over 109,000 men.
With Japan's entry into the war in December 1941, policy was changed to concentrate upon home defence. Military and industrial mobilisation was intensified, and by July 1942 the combined Services strength stood at 154,549, representing 43 percent of the eligible population. Of these, 58,200 were serving overseas. Following enemy reverses at Guadalcanal and El Alamein and the consequent easing of pressure on home defence, policy changed to emphasise overseas service. In 1942 a Third Division was dispatched to the Pacific area, and during 1943 this was increased to 18,000 men. Manpower difficulties at home rendered it impossible to maintain divisions both in the Middle East and in the Pacific areas and, as the production of foodstuffs and supplies appeared of crucial importance, the Government decided, in April 1944, to recall the Third Division who were quickly reabsorbed into essential work, or as reinforcements for the Division in the Middle East.
In September 1944 the Government adopted a scheme to replace all men in the Middle East Division who had served overseas for three years or longer. To do this, since the number of men reaching military age was inadequate, a large number of men were withdrawn from key industries and from the Third (Pacific) Division. Middle East, Air Force, and Naval establishments were maintained until the end of the war, but only at the expense of industrial manpower. Up to November 1944, 340,846 men had been called up for military service and, of these, 80,959 served overseas, including volunteers.
Within four years of the end of the war New Zealand realised that the country's collective defence commitments would require holding a strong force in readiness. This necessity induced the Labour Government to reverse its traditional attitude towards peacetime compulsory military training. In May 1949 the annual conference of the Labour Party rejected the proposal, with the result that on 25 May Fraser, the Prime Minister, announced that a referendum would be taken. This was held on 3 August 1949 and strongly approved the reintroduction of compulsory military training. Under the Compulsory Military Training Act of 1949 all males, whether European or Maori, became liable for military service upon reaching 18 years of age. Trainees had to undergo 14 weeks' intensive, full-time training, three years' part-time service, followed by six years on the Army Reserve. All trainees were allowed the option of serving with the Army, Navy, or Air Force.
The scheme continued until 1957 when altered commitments – the decision, taken in 1955, to provide a division in South-East Asia – caused the Government to reduce the strength of the force required from 33,000 to 23,000 men. As a result the age limit for trainees was raised to 20, the annual intake was reduced to 5,600, and the Reserve liability was cut to three years. Following political changes in 1957 the new Government decided (in 1958) to abolish compulsory military training. New Zealand's strategic interest in South-East Asia indicated that existing arrangements did not provide a sufficiently flexible or mobile force. It was decided to provide a Regular Army field formation (including an armoured regiment) having an establishment strength of 5,600 men. There would be a Regular Force of 2,500 and, as from 1 April 1959, a volunteer Territorial Force of 7,000.
As any war in South-East Asia was likely to require a highly trained force at short notice, the 23,000-strong division was discarded in favour of a compact, highly trained, operational force which could be reinforced from the Territorials. In spite of extensive recruiting campaigns since 1958 it proved impossible to bring the Regular Brigade Group up to the strength authorised. The Territorial Force, although more successful in obtaining recruits, did not achieve a high state of efficiency. This was due, principally, to shortness of training given, to poor attendance at camps, and to the quick turnover of personnel. For these reasons the Government decided in 1961 to reorganise the Army establishment. A group of Regular Force field units, numbering 3,000 men, is to be built up over five years. The Territorial Force, numbering 10,000 men – organised in three smaller brigades, is to be built up over four years, and there is to be a static Regular Force of 3,250 men, including young soldiers under training. Volunteers are still accepted for Territorial service, but deficiencies are being made good by a selective national service scheme. This is expected not only to supply sufficient recruits, but also to allow an adequate standard of training to be maintained.
by Richard Ainslie Barber, N.Z.L.A.CERT., Librarian, Army Department, Wellington.