New Zealand’s military, intelligence and defence footprint is small by international standards but spans more sites than most people realise — three NZDF service bases (Navy, Army, Air Force), Five Eyes signals-intelligence stations, the US Air Force’s Antarctic logistics gateway at Christchurch, plus a layered set of heritage sites covering everything from the 1885 Russian-Scare coastal forts through the WWI training camps to the 1990s post-Cold-War base closures.
This map shows 21 of the most significant. Toggle the layer switches to filter by service or category — active military, intelligence (GCSB and NZSIS), foreign military presence, or heritage sites with public access. All information here is publicly available; nothing on this map is restricted-access intelligence. Active operational bases are mapped at their publicly known locations only.
Royal NZ Navy
NZ Army
- Trentham Military CampTrentham was established in 1900 as a military camp; rapidly expanded during WWI when it became NZ’s main expeditionary force assembly point — over 100,000 NZ troops staged through Trentham on their way to Gallipoli, the Western Front and the Middle East. The base remained operational across both World Wars. Today houses the Defence College of New Zealand which conducts joint-service officer education, plus various Army support and logistics units.
- Burnham Military CampBurnham was established in 1939 to support WWII training and quickly became the army’s South Island operational base. Today houses the 3rd Land Force HQ, the 2nd/4th Battalion (Royal NZ Infantry Regiment), and supporting combat-service units. Restricted access; the base is the major NZDF establishment in the South Island after the closure of Wigram (Christchurch Air Force base) in 1995.
- Waiouru Military Training AreaWaiouru was acquired by the Crown in 1939 specifically as a military training area — desolate, sparse-population tussock country between Mt Ruapehu and Lake Taupō. 63,000 hectares makes it NZ’s largest military training area. Active live-fire and manoeuvre training; multi-week field exercises. The National Army Museum on the SH1 frontage is freely open to the public — significant collection covering NZ military history from the New Zealand Wars through Afghanistan deployments. The township of Waiouru exists primarily to support the training area.
- Linton Military CampLinton was established in 1942 to support WWII training; expanded substantially through the 1950s-70s to become the army’s main operational base. Today houses the 2nd Land Force Group HQ, multiple infantry battalions and combat support units. The Tactical School — where junior officers learn small-unit tactics — is here. Restricted-access base; appointment required.
- Papakura Military CampPapakura was established in 1942 as a WWII training camp and now houses 1 NZSAS Group — NZ’s special-operations regiment. The NZSAS has deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Pacific and other operational theatres since the 1950s. Public information about the unit is limited by design. The base perimeter is more strictly controlled than most NZDF establishments.
Royal NZ Air Force
- RNZAF WhenuapaiWhenuapai was established in 1937 as a Bomber Command station; transitioned to civilian use post-WWII (was Auckland’s main airport until 1965), then back to RNZAF use. Today houses No. 5 Squadron (the new Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol fleet replaced the P-3 Orion in 2024-25) and No. 40 Squadron (C-130J Hercules tactical transport, Boeing 757 strategic transport). The most operationally significant RNZAF base. Restricted access.
- RNZAF OhakeaOhakea was established in 1939 and became NZ’s primary combat-aircraft base through the Cold War — A-4 Skyhawks and earlier Vampires and Venoms operated from here. The 2001 cancellation of the F-16 acquisition by the Clark government effectively ended NZ’s combat-aviation capability; the Skyhawks were retired the same year. The base now houses No. 3 Squadron (NH90 medium helicopters, the most operationally-significant RNZAF helicopter capability) and No. 14 Squadron (T-6C Texan turboprop trainers, used for flight training). Air Show every few years opens parts of the base to the public.
Intelligence (GCSB / NZSIS / Five Eyes)
- Tangimoana HF Intercept StationTangimoana has operated since 1980 as the GCSB’s high-frequency radio intercept station. Unlike Waihopai’s satellite focus, Tangimoana intercepts HF radio traffic — historically used by ships, military communications, and certain governmental traffic that hasn’t moved to satellite. The site is a sprawling coastal antenna farm rather than the architecturally distinctive radome design. Lower public profile than Waihopai (no comparable protest history) but operationally similar in its Five Eyes role.
- Waihopai Station (GCSB)Waihopai was established in 1989 as NZ’s primary contribution to the Five Eyes (US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ) signals intelligence network. Two large white radomes (an iconic visual landmark visible from the road) contain dishes that intercept commercial communications satellites — primarily the Intelsat traffic over the Pacific. The station’s role was officially confirmed by the Clark government in 2000 after years of journalist Nicky Hager’s reporting (his 1996 book *Secret Power* documented the operation). Long protest history — multiple anti-base demonstrations from the 1990s onward; in 2008 Christian peace activists punctured one of the radomes. The site is operational and restricted-access, but you can drive past on Waihopai Valley Road and see the radomes from the public road.
- Pipitea House (GCSB / NZSIS HQ)Pipitea House houses both NZ intelligence agencies — the Government Communications Security Bureau (signals intelligence, foreign-focused) and the NZ Security Intelligence Service (domestic security and counter-intelligence). The building has been used by the agencies since 2003. Bordered by the Bowen Triangle near Parliament. The location is publicly known but interior access is strictly restricted.
Foreign military presence
- USAF Operation Deep Freeze (Christchurch Airport)Christchurch has been the US Antarctic gateway since 1955 — Operation Deep Freeze, run by the US Air Force in support of the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station and South Pole Station. C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft (and historically C-141, C-130 and other types) fly the 4,500 km route between Christchurch and McMurdo’s Phoenix Airfield throughout the October-March Antarctic summer season. NZ provides a logistics-and-staging role; Italy and South Korea also stage from Harewood. The International Antarctic Centre near the airport is open to the public — heritage exhibits and an Antarctic-cold experience room. Visible USAF C-17s on the airport apron during summer season.
- Mt John University Observatory (former USAF site)Mt John was established in 1963 by the United States Air Force as a satellite-tracking station — part of the early space-tracking network alongside similar sites in Argentina, Brazil and elsewhere. The USAF presence ended in 1969 when the site was handed to the University of Canterbury. It has since become NZ’s premier astronomy research observatory and the visual centrepiece of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve (see Conservation Areas Explorer). The Astrocafé at the summit is open daily; bookable evening stargazing tours run year-round. Heritage USAF buildings on the site no longer in active military use.
Heritage / decommissioned
- North Head FortificationsMaungauika / North Head’s military fortifications began in 1885 in response to the Russian Scare (the perceived threat of Russian naval attack on the British colonies); the original Armstrong Disappearing Gun (still on display) was installed that year. Expanded through WWI and WWII as Auckland’s primary coastal-defence position. The heritage fortifications coexist with the underlying pā site (see Heritage Pā Sites Explorer) — the layered Māori-and-colonial-and-military heritage is part of what makes the site unusual. Open public access daily; one of Auckland’s most-visited heritage sites. Co-managed by Tūpuna Maunga Authority and DOC.
- Fort TakapunaFort Takapuna was built in 1888 — three years after North Head — as part of the Auckland coastal-defence ring during the Russian Scare period. The fort sits on the North Shore tip overlooking the harbour entrance from the opposite side to North Head. Decommissioned 1950s. Now an Auckland Council heritage reserve with the original gun emplacements preserved and open public walking access. Walking distance from Devonport ferry.
- Shelly Bay (former RNZAF base)Shelly Bay on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula was originally a coastal-defence battery (1907) and later a seaplane base; transitioned to RNZAF base over the 20th century. Closed in 1995. The post-closure ownership and development of the site became one of Wellington’s most-contested 21st-century planning disputes — the 2016 PSP Investments-Sir Peter Jackson-Taranaki Whānui deal triggered legal challenges and ongoing debate about heritage preservation, iwi obligations and Wellington’s housing supply. As of 2025 the redevelopment is partial; significant heritage buildings remain.
- Featherston Military Camp (heritage)Featherston operated 1915-1918 as one of NZ’s three main WWI training camps (alongside Trentham and Awapuni). Over 60,000 NZ troops staged through here on their way to overseas deployment. Reactivated 1942 as a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. On 25 February 1943 — the Featherston incident — a confrontation between guards and POWs ended with 48 Japanese prisoners killed and one NZ guard. Subject of a 1944 inquiry; remains one of the most-studied incidents of NZ’s wartime history. The camp closed in 1948; the site is now mostly farmland but several heritage memorials are publicly accessible — a Japanese-and-NZ peace memorial garden, a memorial to the incident, and information panels covering the WWI training-camp history.
- RNZAF Wigram (decommissioned)Wigram opened in 1923 as Christchurch’s airfield and quickly became NZ’s primary military aviation base — pre-dating the formation of the RNZAF as a separate service in 1937. Through both World Wars Wigram was the country’s primary military pilot-training base. Closed in 1995 as part of the National-led government’s post-Cold-War defence rationalisation; the Air Force Museum of New Zealand was established on the heritage portion of the site (significant collection — every major RNZAF aircraft type on display). The rest of the base became Wigram Skies, one of Christchurch’s larger 21st-century residential subdivisions. The original 1939 control tower and several heritage hangars survived the redevelopment.
- Hopuhopu (former Army camp, now Waikato-Tainui)Hopuhopu was established as an Army camp in 1927 on land that had been confiscated from Waikato-Tainui after the 1863-65 Waikato War. The camp operated through both World Wars and the Cold War. Closed 1989. The land’s return to Waikato-Tainui in 1995 was a substantive component of the country’s first major Treaty settlement (see Treaty Settlements Explorer). Today the site is Waikato-Tainui’s administrative HQ — a deliberate iwi reclaiming of confiscated military land for governance and cultural use. The site demonstrates a particular kind of redress: not just compensation, but the literal return of military-occupied land to its prior owners.
- RNZAF Hobsonville (decommissioned)Hobsonville opened in 1929 as a maritime-aircraft base on the Waitematā Harbour — flying boats could land directly in the harbour and taxi up onto land. PBY Catalina flying boats based here during WWII conducted long-range Pacific patrols. Post-war operations transitioned to land-based aircraft. Closed in 2002 as part of further post-Cold-War rationalisation. The site is now Hobsonville Point, one of Auckland’s larger 21st-century residential developments — the original heritage hangars and slipway area have been preserved within the new housing layout.
- Stony Batter (Waiheke WWII fortifications)Stony Batter was built in 1941-44 to defend Auckland against possible Japanese naval attack during WWII. Three 9.2-inch coastal-defence guns (the same calibre as the heavy fortifications at Singapore) covered the eastern Hauraki Gulf approaches. Extensive underground tunnel system connecting the gun emplacements, magazines, and battery command. Never fired in anger — by the time it was operational the Pacific war’s threat to NZ had largely passed. Decommissioned post-war. Now part of DOC reserve with public walking access; the underground tunnels are open by booking through the Stony Batter Historical Trust.
Royal New Zealand Navy bases
The Royal New Zealand Navy operates from a single base, Devonport Naval Base on Auckland’s North Shore, home to the shore establishment HMNZS Philomel. It has been a naval base since 1841, making it one of the longest continuously used military sites in the country, and it is where the fleet’s frigates, patrol vessels and support ships are based and maintained. The base itself is not open to the public, but the adjoining Torpedo Bay Navy Museum is, and it is free to visit.
New Zealand Army camps
The New Zealand Army is spread across a handful of camps and one large training area. Linton Military Camp, just south of Palmerston North, is the Army’s largest base and holds much of its combat capability. Burnham Military Camp, south-west of Christchurch, is the main South Island base. Trentham Military Camp at Upper Hutt, near Wellington, dates from 1900 and was the assembly point through which more than 100,000 New Zealand troops passed in the First World War; today it houses the Defence College and support functions. Papakura Military Camp in south Auckland is the home of the New Zealand Special Air Service. Waiouru, in the central North Island, is New Zealand’s largest military training area at around 63,000 hectares of tussock and volcanic terrain, with live-fire ranges that are strictly off limits, though the National Army Museum on the highway there is open to the public.
Royal New Zealand Air Force bases
The Royal New Zealand Air Force flies from two main bases. RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai, in west Auckland, is the home of the transport and maritime-patrol fleets. RNZAF Base Ohakea, west of Palmerston North, is the helicopter and pilot-training base, and was the home of New Zealand’s combat aircraft until the A-4 Skyhawk squadrons were disbanded in 2001. Two former air force bases, Wigram in Christchurch and Hobsonville in Auckland, have since been decommissioned and redeveloped, and both appear on the map as heritage sites.
Frequently asked questions
How many military bases does New Zealand have?
The New Zealand Defence Force operates from a small number of main bases and camps. The Navy is at Devonport in Auckland, the Army at Linton, Burnham, Trentham and Papakura plus the Waiouru training area, and the Air Force at Whenuapai and Ohakea. The map above adds intelligence, foreign-military and heritage sites on top of these, for 21 in total.
Where is the New Zealand Army based?
The Army’s main camps are Linton near Palmerston North, Burnham near Christchurch, Trentham at Upper Hutt and Papakura in south Auckland, with its largest training area at Waiouru in the central North Island.
Can you visit any New Zealand defence sites?
The working bases are not open to the public, but several linked sites are. The Torpedo Bay Navy Museum in Devonport and the National Army Museum at Waiouru are both open and free, and the heritage coastal fortifications at North Head and Fort Takapuna in Auckland and Stony Batter on Waiheke Island can be walked through. Use the map’s layer switches to see the sites with public access.
About this data
The map plots 21 of New Zealand’s most significant military, intelligence and defence sites, compiled by Newswire from New Zealand Defence Force information and public records. It covers the active Navy, Army and Air Force bases, the signals-intelligence stations, the United States Antarctic logistics gateway at Christchurch, and a set of heritage sites from the 1885 coastal forts through to bases closed after the Cold War. Only publicly available information is used, and active operational details are not. See the rest of Newswire’s New Zealand map tools for more.
Related tools
- NZ Treaty Settlements Explorer — Hopuhopu’s return to Waikato-Tainui (1995) was a substantive component of NZ’s first major Treaty settlement.
- NZ Conservation Areas Explorer — Mt John University Observatory sits within the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve.
- NZ Heritage Pā Sites Explorer — North Head’s military fortifications coexist with the underlying pā site.
- NZ Lighthouses Explorer — Taiaroa Head shows pā + Armstrong Disappearing Gun fort + lighthouse layered on one site.
- All Newswire data tools