As the executive representatives of the Provost Marshal of the New Zealand Army, the RNZMP can claim the same ancient lineage as the Royal Military Police.

The first record of a person conducting the duties of a provost marshal stem from 28 May 1241, when Henry II appointed William of Cassingham as a military "Sergeant of the Peace.

Policing within New Zealand started the same year with the arrival of six constables accompanying Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson's official landing party.

With many of its first officers having seen prior service in either Ireland or Australia, this early force resembled a military police unit.

The New Zealand Armed Constabulary Act 1867 established an organised structure for a group that operated along gendarmerie lines.

However, during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) individual New Zealand soldiers served with the British Mounted Military Police in South Africa.

They first used lights at night (originally 20 old railway lamps) to guide New Zealand columns through dangerous mountain passes in Greece.

The use of 'lamp lines' evolved further during the desert campaign; a shaded green light was attached to a black diamond sign, atop a steel picket.

Men from Divisional Provost Company went forward at times even further than armoured patrols, sometimes under shellfire, to find and mark tracks.

As fighting and supply columns moved down these distinct ‘thrust lines’, the diamonds were retrieved and replaced by petrol tins, two high, marked with the fernleaf emblem.

[4] Late in the afternoon of 5 December 1941 the SS Chakdina left Tobruk Harbour bound for Alexandria carrying approximately 380 wounded Allied soldiers, 100 German and Italian prisoners and 120 crew.

[5] Major Hayton reported that NZ Provosts, 2nd Lieutenant Taff, Warrant Officer Malin, Sgt.

‘Appendix B’ is attached to his report: On Sunday, the, No.1 Section was detailed to escort 500 German and Italian prisoners from the POW camp at Tobruk to Alexandria, making the sea voyage by the SS CHANTALA.

Loading operations were enlivened by two bombing attacks, first by a formation and later by a solitary German plane, both were beaten off by fire of an anti-aircraft vessel lying alongside the 'Chantala'.

Holed slightly aft of the forward hold, the vessel made water fast, and the Italians fought wildly to reach a single, narrow ladder leading to the deck above, treading ruthlessly over their companions pinned beneath broken hatch covers and debris.

For a time pandemonium reigned, but the Provost section, who, although scattered all over the ship, had escaped injury, received orders to load the prisoners on to a barge which had been brought close up to the port side.

Blocks and tackle were rigged and although it was necessary to check a rush by the prisoners, good progress was made and the barge was quickly filled.

3 jetty, the barge there discharged the prisoners, those badly wounded being treated in a nearby air raid shelter and the remainder returned to the POW Camp.

Prior to the Halfaya crossing, Provost Coy was attached to B Echelon of 4 Light Armed Brigade and instructed to clear the Pass road for a convoy to proceed under absolute priority with petrol urgently required by fighting tanks.

MacLeod who had first seen service with the Scots Guards and later with the Special Investigation Branch (SIB) of the Royal Military Police.

RNZ Pro personnel served with the New Zealand elements sent in support of the British response to the Malayan Emergency and in the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.

[12] MPs are also delegated specific powers that give them jurisdiction over all personnel, whether civilian or service person, within Defence Areas.

While deployed in an operational theatre, the RNZMP retains jurisdiction of all matters involving NZDF personnel up to and including murder and rape.

The senior technical MP within the NZ Army is a major who holds the appointment of the Officer Commanding 1st (New Zealand) Military Police Company.

The sub-unit elements and locations of 1st (New Zealand) Military Police Company, are as follows: Soldiers within the RNZMP are recruited from personnel already serving within the NZ Army, they cannot join directly.

Officers accepted into the RNZMP conduct their initial training with the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police.

Through their career, RNZMP personnel regularly return to MP Training Wing for continuing professional development courses.

In February 1979, the MP School was moved to Trentham Camp and later became a Training Wing of (then) Force Military Police Company.

Students attending MP Training Wing courses have included service personnel from Tonga, Fiji, Singapore, and Papua New Guinea.

All RNZMP soldiers and officers are trained in close protection and serious investigations (e.g. murder, rape, fraud) skills.