Defence Force
First female commander of the NZ Army
Colonel Karyn Marie Thompson is today, making history. An official ceremony is underway in Waiouru, at the army Marae, where Col Thompson is becoming the new Commander of the camp. Audio
Call for inquiry into fatal NZDF helicopter crash
New Zealand First is calling for a commission of inquiry into a helicopter crash that killed three Air Force officers on Anzac Day 2010.
Bringing the War Home: A failure to care for veterans with PTSD?
RNZ defence reporter Kate Pereyra Garcia talks to war veterans about PTSD and what they say is a lack of help to deal with it when they get home. Video, Audio
Questions over Defence Force suicide rates
Frustrated advocates are calling for better reporting of suicides committed by current and former members of the military. Kate Pereyra Garcia investigates for Insight. Audio
Fallen NZ soldiers in Battle of Somme remembered today
More than two thousand-100 New Zealand soldiers who died in the Battle of the Somme have today been remembered. Audio
Familes of Malaysia fallen beg MPs to bring their men home
Politicians across the divide are now pledging to do all they can to bring home the bodies of the New Zealand soldiers killed in action in Malaysia, more than 50 years on from conflict. That's despite… Audio
Goodies packaged for overseas troops at Christmas
200 Defence Force personnel spending Christmas overseas will recieve a special package, thanks to a group of volunteers. -- Archive material provided by Nga Taonga Sound & Vision-- Video, Audio
100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme
Commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme are taking place across France. Reporter Andrew McRae joins Checkpoint from Northern France. Audio
Immaculate war grave cemeteries result of hard work
The rows of gleaming white headstones that commemorate the First World War dead are in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Our reporter Andrew Mcrae visited the workshops where he was… Audio
New Zealand prepares to mark Battle of Somme
New Zealand is preparing this week to mark its part in the first major battle on the Western Front in the First World War, the Battle of the Somme 100 years ago. Audio
Centenary of the Battle of the Somme
It's one hundred years since 15 thousand New Zealand soldiers joined the Battle of the Somme in Northern France. It was one of the country's bloodiest military engagements ever. Audio
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore: the battle of the Somme
Kim Hill talks to Hugh Sebag-Montefiore about his new history, Somme: Into the Breach, a fresh account of the most famous battle of World War 1, which saw over a million casualties, including some… Audio
New Zealand's Irish 'underground railway'
Seán Brosnahan shares the stories of Irish Catholic conscientious objectors in New Zealand during WW1. Audio, Gallery
Protestors will be treated as terrorists - submitters
MPs have been told New Zealanders who engage in protests at sea could be treated as a terrorist and face draconian punishment under a new bill. Audio
NZDF flying Middle-East air missions in high temps
New Zealand soldiers have flown 32 missions into Iraq and Afghanistan since early June, supporting the Coalition operations, the Defence Force says.
Larry Pratt: guns and scripture
Larry Pratt is Executive Director Emeritus of Gun Owners of America, a national organisation dedicated to promoting the Second Amendment constitutional freedom to keep and bear arms. Audio
Airforce plane makes emergency landing
An airforce boeing 757 has made an emergency landing at Auckland's Whenuapai airbase.
Mike Durant: Black Hawk Down
Nine to Noon speaks to Mike Durant, a former US army helicopter pilot, shot down over Mogadishu during the United States' disastrous, and short-lived intervention in Somalia in 1993. Audio
Ray Trembath: 'Soldiers do get hardened to a lot of things but you also get open to humanity'
Tributes have been flowing for NZ Army sergeant and French Foreign Legion veteran Ray Trembath who died last week at 67. He spoke to RNZ's Bryan Crump about his 42-year military career back in 2016.
…Andy Bearpark: Iraq, Thatcher and yoga
Kim Hill talks to Andy Bearpark arrived in New Zealand in 2013 after a 40-year career as a war zone reconstruction expert. He was one of Margaret Thatcher's five Private Secretaries for three years… Audio
