New Zealand and Australian ammunition technicians share high-risk skills

New Zealand and Australian ammunition technicians have been laying down for the cause of combined training as they share practices and procedures for disposing of live ammunition.

20 October, 2026

The technicians from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) took part in Exercise Safe Step in Waiouru this month as part of the leadup to next year’s multi-national Exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia.

The high-stakes work can involve lying flat on the stomach, meticulously searching with fingertips for buried unexploded artillery projectiles or aerially delivered cluster bombs.

Exercise Director, Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Dean Rennie, of the NZDF Defence Explosive Ordnance School, said mastering shared practices and procedures was vital for safely locating, disabling, and destroying live, unexploded ordnance.

The exercise was designed to improve skill sets, strengthen collaboration, improve ammunition technical specialists’ interoperability, and enhance the collective capability of both countries to conduct conventional munitions disposal.

Scenarios included clearing the area around a battle-damaged truck and its towed L119 105mm light gun for unexploded ordnance so it could be safely recovered by 16th Field Regiment, and locating unexploded ordnance like cluster bombs using metal detectors and fingertip searching.

Two soldiers stand, looking at the ground amongst the tussocks as another is laying on the ground working. In the backgroun is a mountain wrapped in clouds under blue skies.

The Australian/New Zealand Clearance Team begin to clear a safe path into the unexploded ordnance hazard zone with handheld metal detectors

Two soldiers use metal detectors amongst the tussocks

NZDF Clearance Team members conduct detailed search and detection of suspected subsurface unexploded ordnance

A soldier laying on the ground looks at a suspected subsurface unexploded ordnance under blue skie.

NZDF Clearance Team members conduct detailed search and detection of suspected subsurface unexploded ordnance

Another scenario involved an attack onto a gun position by armed drones which resulted in casualties and the disposal of a drone which did not explode.

Other elements of the exercise included conducting bulk demolitions of unserviceable and expired NZDF ammunition.

“The exercise scenarios faced by the ammunition technicians were deliberately complex, realistic and at times, confronting. One of the more complex tasks took the team eight hours to problem solve,” WO2 Rennie said.

Australia’s Director of Land Munitions, Logistics Branch, Colonel Matt Dwyer, observed the Waiouru exercise and said the NZDF operators were “first-class”.

“Our two nations have built trust and common procedures in preparation for Talisman Sabre, and I can say after observing the Kiwi team, they’re first-rate ammunition technicians."

“This combined exercise is an example of Plan Anzac coming to life by aligning capability, training, readiness, and personnel to improve joint operations, regional security, and humanitarian assistance in the South Pacific.”