Volunteer Force (New Zealand)

The Volunteer Force was a voluntary part time military organisation of the New Zealand Military Forces. The force provided the bulk of New Zealand's defence during the late nineteenth century and was made up of small independent corps of less than 100 men. Throughout its entire existence, the Volunteer Force was criticised for being untrained, disorganised and poorly led, with units often prioritising dress uniforms over actual military training. Despite these misgivings, units of the Volunteer Force did conduct military actions during the New Zealand Wars and the Second Boer War. In 1910 the Volunteer Force was converted into the Territorial Force. Many of the modern day units of the New Zealand Army can draw their lineages back to corps of the Volunteer Force. rdf:langString