As early as 1911, some seven years after Richard Pearse had made the first powered flight in New Zealand, the General Staff had considered aviation's place in defence. Little was done and the country had no air force when the First World War began. During the war, two private companies did much good work in training pilots for the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service, and, later, the Royal Air Force. These were the New Zealand Flying School at Kohimarama, near Auckland, and the Canterbury Aviation Company at Sockburn, near Christchurch. They trained 290 New Zealanders, most of whom were commissioned in the RFC, RNAS, or RAF. Many other New Zealanders also joined these services.
In 1923 the New Zealand Aviation Corps (the basis of an air force) was formed, comprising two officers and two airmen; and 72 ex-service pilots were enrolled in an Air Force Reserve. Later in 1923 the New Zealand Permanent Air Force was formed, and the New Zealand Air Force was established as part of the territorial forces. Both organisations were controlled by the New Zealand military forces. The airfield at Sockburn, belonging to the Canterbury Aviation Co., was bought as the Air Force's first station and renamed Wigram after the Hon. Henry Wigram, an early advocate of air power, who gave £10,000 towards the cost. Later, a seaplane base was developed at the upper reaches of the Waitemata Harbour, the present RNZAF Station, Hobsonville.
For many years air power had only a few enthusiastic supporters and suffered from lack of money, from official apathy, and from too old and too few aircraft. With the passing of the Air Force Act on 1 April 1937, the Royal New Zealand Air Force became a separate branch of the armed forces of New Zealand.
In 1937 the newly formed RNZAF had only 30 aircraft, many of them old and all of them obsolescent. The Service comprised a small regular nucleus and a slightly larger territorial force of four squadrons. These squadrons, however, had no aircraft, and the squadron personnel attending annual camps and training had to makeshift with what aircraft could be spared at Wigram and Hobsonville.
Under the leadership of the RNZAF's first Chief of Air Staff, Wing Commander the Hon. Ralph Cochrane (later Air Chief Marshal the Hon. Sir Ralph Cochrane, RAF Retired) an officer on loan from the RAF, it was planned to expand the RNZAF into an effective force of two regular bomber squadrons of modern aircraft and four territorial squadrons of older aircraft, supported by modern bases and an extensive training organisation. This programme of expansion was to be completed by 1941 and, on the outbreak of war in 1939, much had been done. Only six of the 30 Vickers Wellington bombers ordered for the two regular bomber squadrons had been delivered. The New Zealand Government offered these aircraft and crews to Britain and, from these, the famous No. 75 (NZ) Squadron was formed. New Zealand was thus without modern aircraft until the first Lockheed Hudsons arrived in 1941.
The war speeded up the expansion of the RNZAF. Private aircraft were requisitioned for training and the RAF supplied many older operational aircraft for this purpose. These were a valuable asset. Early in the war the RNZAF was mainly an organisation providing trained aircrew for service with the RAF and partly-trained aircrew to complete their training in Canada under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Many of these men became famous over Britain, Europe, the Near and Far East, and in the Battle of the Atlantic. When Japan entered the war in December 1941 New Zealand was threatened with invasion. There were few operational aircraft and these, until a steady trickle of lend-lease bombers and fighters began to arrive late in 1942, comprised New Zealand's sole aerial defence. Operational squadrons were formed, first for home defence and, later, for operations with allied forces in the Pacific. Operating first with Hudson bombers and Kittyhawk fighters and later with Venturas, Corsairs, Avengers, and Catalinas, New Zealand squadrons fought with marked success from bases in Fiji, the New Hebrides, the Solomon Islands, and the Admiralty Islands. The two transport squadrons No. 40 and 41, equipped with Dakotas, provided communications between New Zealand and the forward areas.
New problems arose at the end of the war. Apart from demobilisation and the closing down of wartime stations, there was the job of reshaping the service, making it smaller and more compact, yet strong enough to carry out its role in the event of another war. First, the regular Air Force was reorganised on a peacetime basis and, later, the territorial Air Force was reconstituted and an Air Force Reserve formed.
Since the end of the war at least three squadrons of the RNZAF have been stationed overseas. No. 14 (Fighter) Squadron was sent to Japan early in 1946 as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force and spent two and a half years there. The squadron's next tour of duty began in 1952 when, equipped with De Havilland Vampire jet fighters, it was sent to Cyprus to operate with the RAF as part of the Middle East Air Force. From Cyprus the squadron moved to Singapore in 1955 when it formed part of the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve and carried out operations against terrorists in the Malayan jungle. It returned to New Zealand in 1958, being replaced in Singapore by No. 75 (Bomber) Squadron with Canberra aircraft. This squadron was withdrawn in 1962 as a result of the Government's White Paper on Defence of the previous year. Another renowned RNZAF squadron, No. 41 Transport Squadron, also has a long association with Singapore. From 1949 to 1951 and again from 1955 to the present time, operating from Changi on Singapore Island, the squadron has flown its Bristol Freighters all over the Far East and carried out a variety of tasks including supply dropping over the Malayan jungle during the emergency in that country. Since 1962 a detachment of the squadron has been based at Korat in Central Thailand. No. 5 (Maritime) Squadron has been permanently based at Lauthala Bay in Fiji since early in the war. In addition to its military (anti-submarine) role, it has distinguished itself in search and rescue missions in the South Pacific and in bringing medical aid to people of outlying islands. It has also been of considerable help to the civil administration in providing communications to outlying groups. At the time of writing (1964) the Government had approved of the purchase of new Lockheed P3 Orion aircraft to replace the Sunderland in the anti-submarine warfare role.
From the end of the war until 1957, the RNZAF was committed mainly to the fighter-ground attack role and was organised so as to provide a small regular nucleus capable of rapid expansion in time of war. The advent overseas of improved nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles brought about a change in policy, the RNZAF appreciating the need to concentrate on an effective “force-in-being”, rather than a regular cadre supported by large reserves. As a result, the five territorial squadrons were disbanded. Today the main operational roles of the RNZAF are those of attack, maritime, and transport. To these ends, the RNZAF consists of two attack squadrons—No. 14 (Canberra) and No. 75 (Vampire), both based at Ohakea. Maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine operations are the responsibilities of No. 5 Squadron whose Sunderland flying boats will be replaced by the Orions, operating in the main from Whenuapai. Engaged in transport operations, there is No. 40 Squadron at Whenuapai whose long-range Hastings and DC6 aircraft make regular flights to Singapore, Fiji, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1965 these aircraft will be replaced by Lockheed Hercules C130 transport aircraft.
No. 41 Squadron, equipped with Bristol Freighters, is based at Changi (Singapore), with a detachment at Korat, Thailand. In addition, the Transport Support Unit at Whenuapai, also equipped with Bristol Freighters, serves to provide replacement aircrew for No. 41 Squadron and to carry out a variety of transport tasks within New Zealand. No. 42 (Communications) Squadron at Ohakea is equipped with Dakotas and Harvards and is responsible for communications within New Zealand including the air transport of His Excellency the Governor-General, Cabinet Ministers, and distinguished visitors.
The RNZAF maintains an efficient training organisation in support of the attack, maritime, and transport squadrons. Pilots, navigators, and air signallers are trained at the Flying Training School at Wigram where also is located the Central Flying School, responsible for the training of flying instructors. Aircrew are given advanced training on the aircraft they are to fly at the Jet Operational Conversion Unit at Ohakea, the Maritime Operational Conversion Unit at Hobsonville, and the Transport Support Unit at Whenuapai.
In addition to its normal commitments as a link in the chain of Commonwealth defence, New Zealand has obligations to the South East Asia Treaty Organisation and under the ANZUS Pact. RNZAF units frequently exercise with the air, ground, and sea forces of other SEATO member nations.
by Squadron-Leader Geoffrey Bentley, M.B.E., Public Relations Officer, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Wellington.