The Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport (RNZCT) was a

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

within the

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

that provided logistical support to combat and combat support elements of the Army. Tracing its history back to 1910 when the New Zealand Army Service Corps (NZASC) was formed, as the RNZCT the corps was formed in 1979, when the NZASC was disbanded. Since 1979, the corps has been reorganised several times, undertaking a variety of roles before being subsumed into the

Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment The Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment (The Duke of York's Own), is the New Zealand Army's main military Logistics and combat service support (CSS) element. It is the largest regiment in the NZ Army. History Prior to 1996, the logistic su ...

in 1996.

History

The New Zealand Gazette The ''New Zealand Gazette'' ( mi, Te Kāhiti o Aotearoa), commonly referred to as ''Gazette'', is the official newspaper of record (Government gazette) of the New Zealand Government. Published since 1840, it is the longest-running publication ...

of 12 May 1910 advised that the

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Army Service Corps (NZASC) was formed and became a fully designated component of the defence forces of New Zealand. In 1946 the prefix "Royal" was approved in recognition of the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps' (RNZASC) service during the 1939–45 war and the occupation of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Although overshadowed by 16 Field Regiment RNZA's contribution to the 1950–54

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, New Zealand also contributed 10 Company, RNZASC as part of Kayforce. Totalling 408 personnel of all ranks it served with distinction in Korea from 1951 until 1956 as part of the 1st Commonwealth Division. 10 Company was organised as follows: * Company Headquarters * A (Able) Platoon * B (Baker) Platoon * C (Charlie) Platoon * Composite Platoon * Workshop Platoon On 12 May 1979, the RNZASC ceased to exist and the responsibilities of road, transport, air dispatch, postal functions and catering were handed over to the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport (RNZCT) who were formed on 12 May 1979. The responsibilities of provision of foodstuffs and POL (petrol oil lubricants) was handed over to the

Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps The Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (RNZAOC) concerned itself with the provisioning of troops with the means to fight; specifically uniforms, weapons and equipment. Ordnance functions go back hundreds of years; the first Ordnance Officer i ...

(RNZAOC). From 1974 to 1989 the RNZASC/RNZCT provided the

New Zealand Transport Squadron The ANZUK Support Group was established in 1971 to provide Transport and Supply services to Australian, New Zealand and British forces stationed in Singapore and Malaysia as part of ANZUK Force. It was commanded by a Royal Australian Army Servic ...

and a Catering Platoon to the

New Zealand Force South East Asia New Zealand Force South East Asia (NZFORSEA) (1974–1989) comprised the elements of the Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force. Much of the New Zealand military left Singapore as part of operation Kupe in 1989, ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. The demographics of the RNZCT personnel were 70% Caterers, 25% Transport and 5% Movements. On 9 December 1996 the RNZCT was disbanded and was absorbed into the

(RNZALR).

Corps history

The Corps' history is covered in the book "Salute To Service: A History Of The Royal New Zealand Corps Of Transport And Its Predecessors, 1860–1996", by Julia Millen; Victoria University Press, Wellington, 1997; .

RNZCT Association

The RNZCT Association was formed on 31 March 1994 to: 1. Support and protect the interests of members, promote good fellowship and maintain contact with, and between, members. 2. Arrange and conduct reunions at national level. 3. Assist in the establishment and advancement of Branches. 4. Be supportive of any Association member who may be in need. 5. Encourage historical research of the corps and to collect and preserve historical artifacts. Eligibility for membership of the RNZCT Association extends to all who have worn the badge of the NZASC, RNZASC or RNZCT. In order to promote the interests of the Corps, the Association needs maximum support from both serving ex-Corps personnel and retired Corps personnel.

RNZASC & RNZCT Facebook

The RNZASC & RNZCT has an active Facebook Group, Royal NZ Army Service Corps & Corps of Transpor

where members keep in touch, share photos and organise events. NZASC_1910-1947.jpg, NZASC Cap Badge 1910-1946 RNZASC_1946-1955.png, RNZASC Cap Badge 1946-1955 RNZASC_1955-1979.jpg, RNZASC Cap Badge 1955-1979 RNZCT_1979-1996.jpg, RNZCT Badge 1979-1996

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Administrative corps of New Zealand Military units and formations disestablished in 1996 Military units and formations of New Zealand in the Korean War Military units and formations established in 1910 Military units and formations of the New Zealand Army Organisations based in New Zealand with royal patronage