Peter MacDonald
In 2025 the New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) marks its 70th anniversary since its formal establishment in 1955. As tributes pour in for this elite fighting force, it’s vital to remember that New Zealand’s contribution to special operations didn’t begin in Malaya: it began in the vast, unforgiving deserts of North Africa during World War II.
From Desert Sand to Jungle Canopy
The NZSAS was founded under Lieutenant Colonel Frank Rennie, a veteran of WWII. In setting up the unit, Rennie modelled it on the famed British SAS of David Stirling and “Paddy” Mayne – an elite force famed for their daring and disruption tactics behind enemy lines. But few today understand that the DNA of the British SAS was already infused with New Zealand ingenuity via the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).
Major Bagnold, MI6 and the Kiwi Bushmen
The LRDG was conceived by Major Ralph Bagnold, a British officer and pre-war desert explorer. With backing from British Intelligence (MI6), Bagnold envisioned a unit capable of deep desert navigation, long-range raids and surveillance. When he needed hardy, self-reliant men for this experimental force, he turned to the 2nd New Zealand Division, under General Freyberg. New Zealanders – farmers, surveyors and bushmen – were seen as ideal, resilient, practical and able to navigate hostile terrain without support.
These Kiwis became the core of the LRDG, setting the standard for desert navigation and guerrilla tactics. Their ability to traverse vast enemy-held terrain, live off minimal supplies and strike surgically at high-value targets was revolutionary. One of the most remarkable episodes was Moore’s March in 1942, named after Ronald Joseph Moore DCM. Moore’s truck was attacked by German aircraft and disabled, so Moore and his patrol had to march back across the desert to their base. Enduring brutal conditions with little water and no food, only Moore survived the trek, covering over 200 miles alone. The rest of the patrol were captured by Italian forces. This extraordinary feat of endurance and navigation became emblematic of the LRDG’s grit and the bush-born skills that later defined New Zealand special forces.
The SAS’s Secret Dependency on New Zealanders
When David Stirling launched the first SAS operations in 1941, they weren’t yet the self-contained force later glamorised in legend. Their early missions, parachuting deep into Axis territory to sabotage airfields, were entirely dependent on New Zealand LRDG patrols.
It was the Kiwis of the LRDG who:
- Navigated the SAS into operational zones using nothing but maps, stars and desert instinct;
- Delivered Stirling’s men to targets across hundreds of kilometres of enemy desert;
- Waited at secret rendezvous points to extract them under fire: saving lives and ensuring mission success.
Without the New Zealand navigators and desert drivers, the first SAS missions would have failed entirely. Stirling himself, impressed by the LRDG’s capability, began to model SAS mobility, logistics and self-sufficiency on the methods pioneered by New Zealanders.
Not a Copy, but a Return to Form
So when Frank Rennie stood up the NZSAS in 1955, he wasn’t just replicating a British invention. He was returning to a legacy that New Zealand soldiers had helped create. The NZSAS inherited not just the motto “Who Dares Wins”, but the ethos, fieldcraft and independent spirit of the LRDG.
What was particularly remarkable in 1955 was Rennie’s recruitment strategy. Rather than drawing exclusively from serving soldiers, he took the bold and unprecedented step of advertising in the daily newspapers – calling on civilians to apply. The public response was overwhelming: over 800 civilians applied, eager to join the army and be trained in SAS methods for deployment in the Malayan jungle. Ultimately, around 150 men passed the demanding selection, forming the original NZSAS troop.
This selection process was itself pioneering. At the time, even the postwar British SAS had no formal recruitment system: they simply selected men from paratrooper regiments. It was Frank Rennie who introduced the concept of formalised special forces selection in the Commonwealth, setting a new benchmark that would influence generations of elite military recruitment.
Rennie is said to have told his training officers, “Since we have ‘special’ in our name, we will have special selection methods.” He insisted that men jog everywhere, even to the mess hall, and instilled a level of discipline and physicality that became legendary. The NZSAS effectively set the training standard for Commonwealth special forces. When the British observed how effective and tough Rennie’s men were, they soon adopted similar methods.
Such was the mutual respect that developed, the British SAS granted the New Zealand SAS the rare honour of wearing the cloth SAS badge, a distinction shared by no other Commonwealth nation. While Australian and Canadian SAS units wear brass insignia and are considered subordinate to the British SAS, the NZSAS has always been viewed as an equal peer by its British counterpart.
Trial by Fire, Malaya and Beyond
The newly formed NZSAS was soon tested in the Malayan Emergency, where its effectiveness stunned both British and Commonwealth observers. Operating deep in hostile jungle, the New Zealanders carried out long-range patrols, ambushes and intelligence gathering in brutal terrain. Their success not only validated Rennie’s training philosophy but firmly established the NZSAS as one of the most capable and professional special forces in the world.
During the Vietnam War, the NZSAS earned the nickname “The Grey Ghosts” from their Viet Cong adversaries. This was due to their uncanny ability to move silently and unseen through the dense jungle. This stealth was no accident: it was a direct result of Frank Rennie’s patrol doctrine, which emphasised slow and deliberate movement with frequent pauses to blend into the environment. The patrols mastered taking control of the jungle terrain, gaining the upper hand in any engagement. Crucially, they left zero bush sign, denying enemy trackers any clue to their presence. This method not only increased their survivability but also enhanced their operational effectiveness, cementing their reputation as one of the most skilled special forces in the conflict.
That standard has continued through deployments in Borneo, Vietnam, East Timor, Bosnia, Afghanistan and other modern theatres. In Afghanistan, NZSAS operators earned international respect for their surgical precision, counter-terrorism expertise and courage under fire, including the awarding of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand to Corporal Willie Apiata in 2007.
This makes the NZSAS one of the few modern special forces units that can trace its roots to its own national contribution to the original concept of special operations.
As the NZSAS commemorates 70 years of outstanding service, from the jungles of Malaya to the mountains of Afghanistan, it is time to properly honour the New Zealanders who forged this legacy, behind enemy lines, with grit, brilliance and the bush-born skills that shaped modern warfare.
Lest we forget where the real story began.
