The first New Zealand European military engineering unit was an 82 man militia detachment employed as pioneers during the Flagstaff War in 1845-1846.

[5] The field engineers role involved constructing and repairing trenches, fortifications, bridges and digging wells.

The Battle of the Somme in 1916 had shown that road transport was inadequate to move supplies and ammunition to the front line and to evacuate wounded.

The New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion provided a general labour force for construction and entrenching work.

Attempts were made to convert the battalion into an engineering unit, but this proved to be impractical due to a shortage of adequately educated Maori officers.

The entrenching battalions were a reserve manpower pool for the remaining infantry brigades, but also provided a general labour force to the engineers.

[Note 1] Two members of the corps, Cyril Bassett (Divisional Signal Company) and Samuel Forsyth (attached to 2nd Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment) were awarded the Victoria Cross.

The field companies first saw action in 1941 during the battles of Greece, and Crete and were mostly involved in the demolition of infrastructure to try and slow the German advance.

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the engineers played a vital role in clearing German minefields for the allied forces to advance through.

The primary role of the engineers continued to be mine clearing during the allied advance across the Western desert and into Tunisia in late 1942 and early 1943.

In 1942 the New Zealand engineers laid 400 km of new track across the western desert in 265 days and operated the first train to cross the El Alamein line following the breakout.

[21] The 2nd New Zealand Division was deployed to Italy in 1943 and the new environment required the field companies to take on a new role as bridge builders.

The construction of these bridges was critical to the advance of allied forces and instrumental in the crossing of major rivers such as the Sangro, Senio, Santerno and Po.

The squadron was equipped with a range of specially modified Sherman and Valentine tanks used for bridge laying and supported the advance of the 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade.

These units were generally engaged in the construction of infrastructure behind the front line, although they did support the landing at the Battle of the Green Islands where they suffered their only combat casualties of the war.

A further 19 companies were formed by mobilising the Public Works Department as a military organisation called the Defence Engineering Service Corps.

[31] Engineers were also attached to the battalions of the New Zealand Regiment stationed in Malaya during the 1960s and supported various units of the 1st Australian Task Force during the Vietnam War.

An engineer section was attached to the New Zealand company group deployed to Bosnia to quell ethnic conflict from 1994 till 1996.

The engineers deployed as part of the provincial reconstruction team did not have any construction capability and only oversaw work by contractors from other governments and agencies.

Additionally, the corps deployed to Tuvalu and Tokelau during the 2011 drought and set up water filtration and reverse osmosis systems.

More generally, the corps provides military engineering support including construction, water purification and reticulation, CBRN defense, bridging, firefighting and demolitions.

At total of six JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavators have been acquired by the New Zealand Army, which include and armoured cab, enabling the corps to clear roads and obstacles in a combat environment.

The system can bridge a twelve meter gap in ten minutes and is strong enough to support the weight of an NZLAV.

[46] Although not a part of the RNZE organisation the Engineer Corps Memorial Centre, Library and Chapel are also based at Linton Camp.

The official motto of the Royal New Zealand Engineers is "ubique quo fas et gloria ducunt" (everywhere, where right and glory lead).

[47] The badge of the New Zealand Engineers was a simple circle bearing the acronym "NZE" and the motto "quo fas et gloria ducunt", surmounted by the Royal crest.

The New Zealand Tunneling Company instead used the Maāri translation of the motto, "inga whai katoa", on their collar badges.