A Brief History

The Hauraki Regiment

The Hauraki Regiment was formed on 9 July 1898 as the 2nd Battalion (Hauraki), Auckland Rifle Volunteers. With the introduction of Compulsory Military Training and the formation of the Territorial Force in 1911, the Battalion became sixth in the order of seniority.

6th (Hauraki) Battalion RNZIR

The 6th Battalion (Hauraki) Group was formed as part of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment in April 1964. 6th (Hauraki) Battalion was allowed to retain its own cap badge.

Hauraki Company 3/6 RNZIR

The 6th Hauraki Battalion was amalgamated with the 3rd Auckland and Northland Battalion in 2012 to form 3/6 Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. The battalion is made up of 4 Companies which are Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and Hauraki Company. 3 platoons in Hauraki Company are named after decorated Hauraki soldiers:

Apiata Victoria Cross Platoon (Tauranga)

Freyberg Victoria Cross Platoon (Hamilton)

Hudson George Cross Platoon (Rotorua)

Active Service

Numerous volunteer soldiers from the Hauraki region served in South Africa as mounted riflemen. One of these volunteers, Trooper George Bradford, became the first New Zealand soldier to die in an overseas war when he died of his wounds. Prior to going to South Africa Trooper Bradford had been a Quartermaster Sergeant in the Hauraki Regiment and had been appointed Sergeant Major of the Regiment.

The Hauraki Regiment provided 250 man companies for the three battalions of the Auckland Regiment during World War 1. These companies fought with distinction throughout the war and the battle honours they earned are part of the modern unit’s history.

Soldiers from the region fought in the 18th, 21st, 24th and 29th Battalions during World War 2. Many soldiers from the Regiment served with the 28th (Maori) Battalion, two of whose Companies were drawn from the Hauraki Regiment area.

Soldiers from the Regiment also volunteered for service in Korea, Malaya, Borneo, and South Vietnam. The 6th Battalion (Hauraki ) RNZIR was one of the first Infantry Battalions to send Officers as observers to United Nations missions in the Middle East.

Probably the most famous Hauraki was Lieutenant General Lord Bernard Freyberg VC, General Officer Commanding 2nd (NZ) Division during World War Two, and Governor-General from 1946-52. General Freyberg was first commissioned into the Hauraki Regiment in 1911 while working as a dentist in Morrinsville.

Members of the unit have been active in deploying on overseas deployments. The unit has provided soldiers that have deployed to East Timor, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Afghanistan, Timor Leste, Sinai Peninsula, Korea, Midle East, Antarctica, and Iraq.