Reserve Force soldiers hone their combat skills in annual Waiouru exercise

They joined more than 70 Regular Force personnel in the Waiouru Military Training Area for Exercise Tauwharenīkau, which wound up recently. 

The nine-day combined arms collective training exercise includes intelligence-driven and action-based missions based on a simulated conflict scenario centred on unrest on a fictional island in the South Pacific. 

The lead unit for the exercise was New Zealand Army Reserve unit 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Shaun O’Connor, said the exercise prepared Army Reserve personnel to surge and embed seamlessly into 1st (New Zealand) Brigade when required.

“The work that goes into maintaining combat readiness is at the heart of what we do as an organisation, giving us the skills, tools and resilience to respond to any situation when called upon,” Lieutenant Colonel O’Connor said.

“Reservists are trained to the same standard and meet the same operational levels as their Regular Force peers, and bring a valuable diverse mix of backgrounds, expertise and skillsets to the Army.”

Currently, more than 2,000 Reserve Force soldiers stand ready to support the Regular Force.

Assistant Chief of Army for Reserves, Colonel Brendon Jull said the exercise proved the Reserve Force doesn’t just contribute high-quality personnel to Army but was integral to delivering its operational outputs - both at home and abroad.  

“The fact that the NZ Army can run this exercise while concurrently deploying close to 700 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel to a major Australian exercise (Exercise Talisman Sabre) highlights the NZDF’s ability to deliver large-scale, integrated operations across domains, services and nations.”

Lieutenant Colonel O’Connor said the Reserve Force was hoping to deploy a company-sized group to the next iteration of Talisman Sabre in 2027.

“This year’s Exercise Tauwharenīkau was intended to replicate the scale and complexity of the kinds of operations soldiers would be likely to encounter once deployed overseas.” 

The exercise operated under a combat framework that includes a command-and-control centre, a light infantry rifle company made up of three 33-soldier platoons, and combat support units including engineers, signallers, mounted armoured capability, intelligence specialists, medics and dental specialists.  

The exercise also incorporated operational support from the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) No. 3 Squadron NH90 helicopters and No. 40 Squadron C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft. 

The exercise also featured an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) detachment from both the Army’s 16th Field Regiment and the RNZAF, as well as infantry support dogs, explosive detection dogs and a mounted reconnaissance section – the Waikato Mounted Rifles. 

Reserve Force training typically occurs once a fortnight or monthly.

Reserve Force soldiers can also take part in all NZDF exercises, both nationally and internationally, based on time availability and skills required.

Any Defence Recruiting enquiries can be made by phoning 0800 1 FORCE or visit www.defencecareers.mil.nz(external link)