Originally, the Royal Navy was solely responsible for the naval security of New Zealand.

[1] Under the Australasian Naval Agreement 1887 the colonial governments of Australia and New Zealand secured a greater naval presence in their waters, agreed that two ships would always be based in New Zealand waters and agreed contributions to funding that presence.

The Australian Squadron was disbanded in 1911 and the Australia Station passed to the Commonwealth Naval Forces.

The Australia Station was reduced to cover Australia and its island dependencies to the north and east, excluding New Zealand and its surrounds, which was transferred under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, China and called the New Zealand Naval Forces.

[5] The Commodore's appointment was abolished and forces brought directly under the New Zealand Chief of the Naval Staff from October 1940.