Air force component of the New Zealand Defence Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa(Māori)
Badge of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
Founded
1913; 111 years ago (1913) (first military aviation)
1923; 101 years ago (1923) (New Zealand Permanent Air Force)
1 April 1937; 87 years ago (1937-04-01) (independent service)
Country
New Zealand
Type
Air force
Role
Aerial warfare
Size
2,388 active personnel 420 reserve personnel 47 aircraft
Part of
New Zealand Defence Force
Headquarters
Wellington
Motto(s)
Per Ardua ad Astra
Colours
Red, white, blue
March
Royal New Zealand Air Force March Past
Anniversaries
1 April 1937
Engagements
World War II
Berlin Airlift
Malayan Emergency
Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation
Korean War
Vietnam War
Iran–Iraq War
Gulf War
War in Somalia
Sierra Leone Civil War
Operation Enduring Freedom
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Website
airforce.mil.nz
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief
Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro[1]
Chief of the Defence Force
Air Marshal Kevin Short
Chief of the Air Force
Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark[2]
Deputy Chief of the Air Force
Air Commodore Ian Mower
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Ensign
Aircraft flown
Helicopter
AgustaWestland A109, SH-2G, NH90
Patrol
Boeing P-8
Trainer
T-6 Texan II
Transport
Super King Air, Boeing 757, C-130 Hercules
Military unit
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; Māori: Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa) is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, becoming an independent air force on 1 April 1937.
The RNZAF fought in World War II, Malaya, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Gulf War and has undertaken United Nations peacekeeping missions. From a peak of over 1,000 combat aircraft in 1945, the RNZAF has shrunk to a strength of around 48 aircraft in 2022. It focuses on maritime patrol and transport duties in support of the Royal New Zealand Navy and the New Zealand Army. Its air combat capability ended in 2001, with the disbanding of the A-4 Skyhawk and Aermacchi MB-339 equipped squadrons.
The Air Force is led by an Air Vice-Marshal who holds the appointment of Chief of Air Force. The RNZAF motto is the same as that of the Royal Air Force, Per Ardua ad Astra, meaning "Through Adversity to the Stars".[3] The Māori language name Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, meaning "New Zealand Warriors of the Sky" or more literally "The New Zealand War Party of the Sky", was adopted in 2009; the name had been Te Hokowhitu o Kahurangi ("War Party of the Blue") for the previous 12 years.[4]
^"NZDF – Governance Structure". www.nzdf.mil.nz. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
^"New Chiefs Appointed for All Three Branches of the Armed Forces". The New Zealand Herald. 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
^"What Is The RAF motto". Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
^Wallace, Wal (September 2009). "New Māori Name for Air Force". Air Force News (107). Royal New Zealand Air Force. ISSN 1175-2327. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
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