NZ8 1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Colour Party
The 1st Battalion Colour Party is composed of two subalterns who bear the colours, a warrant officer and two colour sergeants. The warrant officer and sergeants wear a sash with the pattern of Maori kowhaiwhai. The ensigns wear traditional Sam Brown belts and carry on their colour belts, the Queen's and Regimental Colours.
In 1964, the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment came into being, and the First Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment officially became the 1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (1RNZIR).
The battalion's history can be traced back to New Zealand’s colonial days, with the battle honour of New Zealand on the Regimental colour. The twenty-three battle honours emblazoned on the colour are:
| SOMME 1916-18 MESSINES 1917 YPRES 1917 POLYGON WOOD PASSCHENDAELE ARRAS 1918 HINDENBURG LINE FRANCE AND FLANDERS 1916-18 ANZAC GALLIPOLI 1915 SOUTH AFRICA 1900-02 NEW ZEALAND |
GREECE 1941 CRETE MINQAR QAIM EL ALAMEIN TAKROUNA NORTH AFRICA 1940-43 CASSINO 1 THIESENIO ITALY 1943-45 SOUTH PACIFIC 1942-44 SOUTH VIETNAM 1967-70 |
Post World War Two the battalion commenced operations in South East Asia, and in 1958 was in actions against communist insurgents in Malaya, Borneo, and in 1965 in Sarawak. In 1965 New Zealand troops were committed to Vietnam and between 1967 and 1971 nine companies served.
In 1969 the battalion moved to Singapore and remained there until 1989 when it returned to its present home at Linton Military Camp. Since then battalion personnel have had peacekeeping roles in the Sinai, Angola, Iraq, Cambodia, Mogadishu, Bougainville and Sierra Leone.
In 1994 the first of three companies was deployed to Bosnia Herzegovina, and in 1999 a battalion to East Timor, on both occasions for United Nations peacekeeping duties.
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