World War Two (New Zealand involvement)
Where can I find information about New Zealand's involvement in World War Two?
(Years 7-10)
Image: General Hospital Crete, 20 May 1941 by Peter McIntyre. Collection: Archives New Zealand, Ref: R22497931. CC by 2.0. Image cropped.
Entry last updated: 4/06/26
Introduction
World War Two, also known as The Second World War remains the biggest war the world has ever seen. It was fought between the Axis powers led by Germany and the Allied powers led by Britain. The war began in Europe but rapidly spread throughout the world. New Zealand troops were involved in major battles in Greece, Italy, North Africa, and the Pacific.
New Zealand websites
These websites have the best information on New Zealand's involvement in World War 2, the battles fought and the role of the defence forces including the 28th (Māori) Battalion and women.
Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Te Ara is an excellent website for questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a government website belonging to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage so the information should be well-researched and reliable.
Look under Stories A-Z at the top of the page and choose S.
Select Second World War.
After reading the summary click on the links near the top of the page to explore different place where New Zealand men and women served.
NZ History is another website from the Ministry for Culture & Heritage and has detailed information on significant events in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Go to the bottom-right of the page and choose New Zealand at War.
Then go down the page and select Second World War.
Explore the articles about battles that New Zealand was involved in, like The Battle for Crete and War in the Pacific.
Or check out the roles of the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Airforce.
Tips: Sites that have .govt.nz or .ac.nz are from NZ government or educational organisations. We like sites like this because they’re reliable and relevant to us.
The 28th (Māori) Battalion was made up of volunteers who were keen to serve during the Second World War. This website was put together to record, remember, and honour their services.
Select Story of the 28th on the top right side of the page.
Look at About the 28th for a description of the (Māori) Battalion, who these men were and where they came from.
Go to Greece and Crete and Desert Fighters to read about the battles they fought in.
There are also lots of primary sources here such as letters and photos.
This is one of the EPIC resources, a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics.
Search for the article Operation Mercury: The Battle of Crete which is about the 2nd New Zealand Division in Greece.
The article New Zealand's Nightingales tells the story of the New Zealand Red Cross nurses in WW2.
Tips: To use the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians. Your public library may have some EPIC databases too.
Primary sources
Primary sources can be photos, writings, and stories recorded by people who witnessed events as they happened. These websites have primary sources showing New Zealand's involvement in World War Two.
DigitalNZ searches online resources from New Zealand libraries, museums, universities and government sites in one place. It groups results by the type of information and has lots of primary sources.
Try searching for 'New Zealand in World War Two'.
Other useful searches are 'New Zealand at War in the Pacific' and 'New Zealand at War in Greece'.
Tips: Before searching, make a list of words to use. These are sometimes called keywords. They can be the name of a person, place, or event you are researching.
NZ On Screen is a collection of free to view video from New Zealand television and films. It has lots of information on New Zealand at war.
From the menu, choose Collections | Ngā kohinga.
Under the Aotearoa New Zealand History heading, find The World War II Collection.
You can look at Memories of Service, a series of video interviews with war veterans.
Videos like Memories of service 2 - Doris Coppell and Memories of Service 4 - Barbara Rowarth are about New Zealand women who served in the Second World War.
Tips: Company websites (with .com or .co) can have useful info, but we need to check how reliable it is. Check the About link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.
Books
There have been hundreds of books written on New Zealand's involvement in World War Two. Check out these titles or visit your local public or school library and ask what they have.
Operation Mercury: The Battle for Crete 1941 by John Sadler
Hell or High Water by Neil Atkinson
Flight path by David Hill.
Here come the Marines : Warkworth, 1943 by Lorraine Orman.
In the Line of Fire: New Zealanders Tell their Wartime Stories by Ian Stuart
Kiwis in Khaki: A Pictorial History of the New Zealand Soldier in World War II by David Filer
HMNZS Archilles by Jack S Harker
SCIS no: 1940902
Topics covered
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