The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the main unit in the regular army of New Zealand. It was formed January 9, 1947 as the New Zealand Regiment with a single infantry battalion as part of the newly created infantry corps.
By August 1, 1947 the regiment was augmented by the reorganisation of the Jayforce (the occupation force of Japan:
- 1st Battalion - redesignation of original regiment
- 2nd Battalion - redesignation of 22nd Battalion, NZEF
- 3rd Battalion - redesignation of 27th Battalion, NZEF
The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were disbanded in 1948 following their return to New Zealand. The honours and traditions of the 22nd Battalion, NZEF were then perpetuated through the Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) Regiment , the Hawke's Bay Regiment and the Wellington West Coast and Taranki Regiment . The 2nd Battalion was raised again in 1959 and saw service in Malaya before converting to a depot for the 1st Battalion in 1963. The regiment received its present name on April 1, 1964, when all of the Territorial Force battalions were absorbed into its structure, receiving battalion numbers. This continued until 1999, when the TF regiments resumed their separate identities following the re-organisation of the army structure. Today, the RNZIR has three battalions:
- 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (mechanised infantry) - the original battalion formed in 1947.
- 2/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (light infantry) - originally the 2nd Battalion, this was given its current name in 1973.
- 3/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment - formed as a cadre in 1999 to be mobilised using Territorial Force infantry units as needed.
In addition, the RNZIR contributed two companies to the ANZAC Battalion in Vietnam between 1968 and 1971. It is this that has provided the RNZIR with its only battle honour thus far, which is the only battle honour awarded by New Zealand since World War II.
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