Developed in 1940 when it seemed that the Pacific War might reach New Zealand and with little likelihood of weapons coming from Britain, it did not enter service.

In around June 1940 Ernest James Schofield, a motor vehicle dealer for General Motors in Wellington, approached his MP William Theophilus Anderton with an idea for a fighting vehicle that could run on tracks or wheels.

[2] Schofield's tank was based on the chassis of a Chevrolet 6 long hundredweight (300 kg)[3] truck using the suspension from a Universal Carrier.

The initial design performed badly in trials but the Government sought an improved version.

Designed by another member of the original team, the improved model used a better transmission and the turret now contained a QF 2 pounder gun with a co-axial Besa machine gun.