Prime Minister Keith Holyoake decided to keep New Zealand involvement in Vietnam at the minimum level deemed necessary to meet allied expectations.

[1] New Zealand's initial response was carefully considered and characterised by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake's cautiousness toward the entire Vietnam question.

The team worked for civilians at the Binh Dinh Province Hospital, in Qui Nhon, an overcrowded, and dirty facility almost completely lacking equipment and bedding.

[6] Under continuing American pressure, the government agreed during 1963 to provide a small non-combatant military force, but the deteriorating political situation in Saigon led to delays.

Based at Thủ Dầu Một, the capital of Bình Dương Province, the New Zealand Army Detachment Vietnam (NEWZAD)[7] engineers were engaged in reconstruction projects, such as road and bridge building, until July 1965.

[11] It was seen as in the nation's best interests to do so—failure to contribute even a token force to the effort in Vietnam would have undermined New Zealand's position in ANZUS and could have had an adverse effect on the alliance itself.

New Zealand had also established its post-Second World War security agenda around countering communism in South-East Asia and of sustaining a strategy of forward defence, and so needed to be seen to be acting upon these principles.

Sergeant Alastair John Sherwood Don and Bombardier Robert White of 161 Bty were the first New Zealand casualties of the Vietnam War when the front of their Land Rover was blown up by a Vietcong command detonated mine during a convoy on 14 September 1965.

The gunners were noted for their key role in assisting the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR), during the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966.

1 ATF would be increasingly called upon to provide support to a number of civil community reconstruction projects and assist in the training of South Vietnamese forces.

[30] The New Zealand infantry companies in 6 RAR/NZ played major roles in two extremely significant and successful operations conducted by the 1st Australian Task Force in 1969 and 1970.

Additionally, between Victor 3 and one other Australian company approximately 1.5 tonnes of pharmaceuticals were captured which was thought to be the largest amount ever seized in the war by allied forces.

[35][36][37] Both RNZIR companies conducted a number of independent, company-level land clearing and mine sweeping operations providing security for Australian and American engineer teams.

[53] When the 1st Australian Task Force base was establiahed at Nui Dat in 1966 a landing strip was built which was just long enough to accommodate the large Bristol Freighters in use by 40 Sqn.

41 Squadron RNZAF provided resupply missions to South East Asia from the Royal Air force base in Singapore and from New Zealand, usually via Australia.

In early April 1975 the squadron established a detachment at Tan Son Nhat International Airport near Saigon to evacuate New Zealand personnel from the country as North Vietnamese forces rapidly advanced.

41 Squadron flight out of the country departed on 21 April carrying 38 embassy staff (including the New Zealand Ambassador) and refugees, just prior to the fall of Saigon.

The Troop was attached to the Australian SAS Squadron at Nui Dat[63] and carried out long-range reconnaissance and the ambushing of enemy supply routes, mounting 155 patrols over three tours until being withdrawn in February 1971.

The NEWZAD team spent nine months in Vietnam on construction activities before being replaced by the RNZE engineers that came out ahead of the arrival of the RNZA battery in July 1965.

Each time New Zealand military contribution to South Vietnam increased, a work party of RNZE engineers was sent to assist in preparing the site for the new arrivals.

These RNZE Detachments helped set up the NZ artillery battery when it moved from Bien Hua to Nui Dat in September 1966 and again for Victor One Company RNZIR from early November to December 1967.

RNZEME personnel who had been in the LSE were taken for the most part into the Light Aid Detachment (LAD) of the Australian Artillery Field Regiments which 161 Bty was integrated with.

Some RNZEME personnel served in the RNZIR rifle companies, the ANZAC Battalions (Command & Support), as well as at the New Zealand V Force HQ in Saigon.

[98] Two small RNZAF detachments were attached to U.S Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk squadron VMA-311 at Chu Lai Air Base in January 1970 and October 1970.

[107] In line with reductions in American and Australian strength in Vietnam, New Zealand began the gradual withdrawal of its combat forces as the training teams were arriving.

One of the first acts of Prime Minister Norman Kirk's Labour Party government (elected in December 1972) was to withdraw both training teams and the New Zealand headquarters in Saigon.

While Prime Minister Holyoake and his government had their own misgivings about the viability of the war, they were consistent in their public belief that they were maintaining both New Zealand's foreign policy principles and treaty-bound obligations.

While National continues to support a stronger alliance with the United States, the anti-war protests convince the Labour government that a new and more independent New Zealand foreign policy is needed.

This investigation was poorly conducted and ignored the evidence amassed in Australia of the spraying missions that took place in Vietnam where Australian and New Zealand troops were exposed.

[113] Prime Minister Helen Clark's government apologised to Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange or other toxic defoliants, following the inquiry.