War chronicle · 1 March · Wellington, New Zealand
The New Zealand Division
Māori, Niuean, Cook Islands, and Pākehā soldiers are heading for the Western Front.
The British request a New Zealand infantry division – formed of 20,000 men – to serve on the Western Front. The New Zealand Division is created from a combination of new recruits and soldiers who fought at Gallipoli.
An important part of the new division is the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion. The battalion is a merger of the Maori Contingent – including men from Niue and the Cook Islands – and a Pākehā unit, the Otago Mounted Rifles. Pioneer battalions traditionally carried out labouring tasks in dangerous front line areas, but also fought in emergencies.
The New Zealand Division is officially activated on 1 March 1916. The men are relieved to depart Egypt for France a month later, unaware of the horrors that await them on the Western Front.
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