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NZ Army's Marlborough exercise switches from evacuation to combat

New Zealand Defence Force

New Zealand Army soldiers wrap up the largest exercise in the South Island for 2025, aimed to test the Motorised Infantry Company Group (MICG) with supporting units from across 1st (NZ) Brigade and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

23 October, 2025

Following a fortnight of activities and exercises across the Marlborough region, the MICG and its supporting elements brought Exercise Cassino to an end with a series of deliberate cordon and search, forest clearing operations and a raid.

These actions resulted in the seizure of a drone making facility, clearance of militia force training camps and the successful capture of a key militia leader.

Commanding Officer 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Mateparae said the exercise provided crucial realistic and challenging scenarios for the soldiers to overcome.

"Having the opportunity to learn and develop skills required across the spectrum of conflict and within a contemporary operating environment are vital to ensure our personnel are ready for global operational deployments."

Involved in the exercise were the NZ Army's high-readiness units from Burnham Military Camp, supporting by enabling units including 3rd Combat Service Support Battalion, 3rd Field Squadron Engineers and 5th Signals Squadron, as well as elements drawn from the wider Joint Support Group.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force's (RNZAF) No. 40 and No. 3 Squadrons also participated in the exercise and linked up with personnel for crucial joint tactical training including aerial insertions on board NH90 Helicopter and C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft.

Sappers from the Army's 2nd Engineer Regiment also operated Zodiac rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB) to provide infiltration options from the water.

"For many of our team it is their first experience working with helicopters and RHIBs in direct support. This has provided added realism, while significantly enhancing our ability to quickly approach our areas of operation. It has been awesome having them along as part of our joint combined arms team," said Lieutenant Colonel Mateparae.

The exercise itself replicated Stability and Support Operations in the fictional country of the Democratic Republic of Motumatihi and tested the contingent's ability to quickly deploy into an area of unrest and initially set up to conduct non-combatant evacuations.

The MICG then re-postured to run patrols, clearances and raids in support of host nation forces, and eliminate threats posed by militia forces.

The exercise culminated with a deliberate raid at the RNZAF Dip Flat facility along the Wairau River, which saw personnel deploy via helicopter and road to effect a coordinated strike onto an area that would be generally very challenging to reach.

"The exercise has worked really well, with lots of learning, development and refinement of skills for everyone involved. Our training team, led by Warrant Officer Class One Paul Buckley have done an incredible job, putting everything together to really test our unit. It is a great milestone in our continued drive toward modernising our operating concepts toward the future battlefield," said Lieutenant Colonel Mateparae.

Exercises like Cassino cannot happen without the support and social licence of the community, which Lieutenant Colonel Mateparae says personnel and units don't take for granted.

"RNZAF Base Woodbourne and the wider Marlborough community have been incredible hosts to us throughout the last few weeks. It is a beautiful part of the country, with the epic mountain ranges, native bush and ocean inlets providing an incredible training ground for our team.

"Without the support of our local communities, we would be unable to train at the scale we have during Exercise Cassino. We are incredibly thankful for all the local support and can't wait for the opportunity to return again sometime in the future."