New Zealand does not have a Marine Corps. Nor, unlike Australia, does it have Army units that are habitually associated with amphibious operations. Nor, unlike Canada, has it given consideration to acquiring amphibious assault ships or forming a unit that might operate with such ships. US Marines supported the New Zealand Force integration of their recently acquired multi-role maritime patrol vessel Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship (HMNZS) Canterbury, which enhanced humanitarian assistance efforts in the region.

The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Group (1st NZSASG), includes an HQ, two squadrons under the direct command of Headquarters Land Force Command, a training wing and boat troop(s). The NZSAS are divided into to squadrons that have a dedicated Green role (conventional military operations) divided into four troops: Air Troop, Boat Troop, Mountain Troop and Mobility Troop. The Counter Terrorist Tactical Assault Group (CTTAG) frees up the 1st NZSASG so that it may concentrate on more traditional SAS operations. It must be clear, however, that the Boat Troop is in no sense a "Marine Corps."

New Zealand's connections to the Royal Marines were long-standing, but extremely tenuous, and no Marine tradition arose beyond that of the ship's landing party. New Zealand did have an extensive history of amphibious operations during the two World Wars, but these were all Army operations.

New Zealand does have a ship, MHNZS Canterbury, that resembles a Landing Ship, Dock [LPD], but it isn't, since the modified car ferry design lacks a well-deck for loading landing craft. Continuing the Development of the NZDF's amphibious sealift capability, Army troopers from Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles (QAMR) with their Light Armored Vehicles landed from HMAS MANOORA at Napier during Exercise JOINT KIWI. The exercise ran from 9-17 May 2008, before MANOORA returned to Lyttelton to offload the NZ Army units. The intricate amphibious planning was undertaken by members of CANTERBURY's ship's company, forming a joint Australian-New Zealand amphibious task force. The LAVs, troops, other vehicles, and supplies were offloaded onto the beach at Perfume Point in Napier using MANOORA's LCM8s and the ship's Sea King helicopter. Working with the ADF enables the NZDF to develop and enhance their skills in the on-load and off-load of personnel, vehicles, material, and supplies without requiring a formal port facility.

Within the exercise, the task force conducted amphibious beach landings and withdrawals, designed to increase joint preparations between the ADF and NZDF, for potential operations such as emergency relief or peacekeeping. The MANOORA carries two LCM8 landing craft and a Sea King helicopter - the Australians have used MANOORA and her sister regularly for exercises and operations throughout the region.

New Zealand and Australia experience a close and longstanding defence relationship, with similar regional interests in security and stability in the Pacific. The New Zealand-led exercise was aimed at improving interoperability between both nations and five members of the Command team from CANTERBURY formed part of the Amphibious Task Force HQ, working alongside their Australian counterparts.

A key aspect of Future 35 was the establishment of the NZDF "Joint Amphibious Task Force" (JATF) by 2015.

In February 2011 Australia learned that it did not have a seaworthy amphibious warfare fleet. The two biggest [and oldest] landing ships, HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla, were deemed in such poor order that the government said the lives of sailors would be imperiled if the vessels were put to sea. The smaller [and newer] HMAS Tobruk was so beset by problems that it could not be used in the recovery operation after cyclone Yasi devastated north Queensland in February 2011. Australia asked to share use of New Zealand's HMNZS Canterbury to fill the void until 2014, when two landing helicopter docks were due to enter service.

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The New Zealand military is on track building a strategic amphibious force by 2015, the Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said 19 September 2012. On the release of the NZDF Annual Report, Lieutenant General Rhys Jones said the Pacific region was a key driver of capability development in keeping with the strategic direction set in the government's 2010 Defence White Paper. "Our Pacific neighborhood is the primary focus of the Defence Force's 'Future 35' strategy," Jones said in a statement.

A key aspect of Future 35 was the establishment of the NZDF "Joint Amphibious Task Force" (JATF) by 2015. Primarily structured for the deployment of combat forces, the JATF was most likely to be used in disaster relief and conducting missions to support nation building in the Pacific. "The Annual Report confirms we have made good progress in the last year with work having commenced on developing joint amphibious training; a deployable joint headquarters has been stood up, able to command operations offshore and co-ordinate the efforts of other governmental, international, and non-governmental organizations in a crisis; and the first of the new (European-made) NH-90 helicopters arrived," he said.

Another significant milestone in 2012 was providing a high readiness platoon as part of the Australia-New Zealand Ready Response Force, (ANZRRF) capable of responding at very short notice to regional contingencies in the southwest Pacific, such as humanitarian and disaster relief.

Meanwhile China has the “Jinggangshan” amphibious dock landing ship is the first ship to combine the projection of military force and projection of equipment. The “Jiggangshan” amphibious dock landing ship serves primarily as a starting base for landing operations in the actual combat exercise. Specifically, it is used as the base for attacking operation and landing operations launched against islands and reefs and the landing troops.

Compared to the characteristics of previous landing crafts, the feature of the “Jinggangshan” amphibious dock landing ship is balanced loading. The “balance” refers to the balance of equipment and combat personnel. It can simultaneously accommodate infantrymen and such heavy weaponry and equipment as air-cushion boats and amphibious assault vehicles. Meanwhile, it is able to transport an entire organic battalion. The troops and equipment were separately transported in the past. This is the first ship to put troops and equipment together for transportation.

History - Marines and Amphibious Operations

New Zealand's connections to the Royal Marines were long-standing, but extremely tenuous, and no Marine tradition arose beyond that of the ship's landing party. On the 9th November 1769, just east of the Taranganui River the Royal Marines landed for the first time in New Zealand; by Mercury Bay on that same day they presented Arms as the Union Flag was hoisted, the first link in the chain between the Royal Marines and New Zealand was welded. Other detachments followed with Capt. Cook; when Cook fell ill in Hawaii, four Royal Marines fighting off his attackers died with him. In the New Zealand Wars of the mid-19th Century R.M. Detachments of no fewer then 17 ships saw service both afloat and ashore; either as Gunners (Royal Marine Artillery) or as Infantry (Royal Marine Light Infantry).

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With the formation in 1920 of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, Light Cruisers which carried detachments of Royal Marines came onto the New Zealand Station. The Light Cruisers H.M.S. Dunedin and H.M.S. Diomede carried five detachments while on station, H.M.S. Achilles three detachments, H.M.N.Z.S. Gambia one detachment; and H.M.N.Z.S. Bellona with two detachments.

New Zealand did have an extensive history of amphibious operations during the two World Wars

The last Royal Marine detachment (1949 to 1951) said their farewell to New Zealand by Beating the Retreat at the Royal Show in Epsom Show Grounds, Auckland in 1951. The Royal Marine Band continued in New Zealand for another nine years. A son of New Zealand, General Sir John Westall, born in Napier, became the Commandant General of the Royal Marines, 1952-53.

New Zealand did have an extensive history of amphibious operations during the two World Wars, but these were all Army operations. The amphibious operation at Gallipoli was mounted to strike at the heart of the Turkish Empire. The army designated for this dangerous task consisted of the following: A division of French soldiers, the Corps Expeditionnaire de l'Orient, under M. le General d'Amade. This division was made up of French Territorial soldiers and Senegalese; the 29th Division of British regular troops; the Royal Naval Division; the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps [ANZAC]. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the Royal Naval Division, who together made up more than half the army, were almost all men who had enlisted since the declaration of war, and had had not more than six months' active training.

The landings began on 25 April 1915. By the night of the second day, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps had won and fortified their position. the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps fought courageously at "Anzac Cove" and throughout the Gallipoli campaign. All through the unfortunate campaign, the Anzacs characterized themselves by their dashing courage, tenacity and exceptional confidence under fire. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months.

Almost a third of the New Zealanders taking part had been killed; the communities they came from had counted the cost in the lengthy casualty lists that appeared in their newspapers. And the sacrifice seemed to have been in vain. Had the full extent of the losses been made known just as the newspapers were able to publish them the effect might have been to give their readers in Australia and New Zealand a most serious shock; but in spite of attempts to soften the news by dividing it over a number of days it began to be widely known in the early part of the third week of the month of August that the losses of the Anzac army had been enormous, and that to the crowds of mourners for the dead of Gallipoli would be added another and not less numerous host of bereaved to deplore the death of men they loved on the blood-soaked fields of northern France. After the evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula, the Anzac army was removed to Egypt, where it remained till the month of March, when, the services of the greater part of the infantry and artillery being demanded on the Western Front.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the "ANZAC legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and future.

H.M.N.Z.S. Gambia

During World War II New Zealand's soldiers participated in a number of amphibious operations against Japan. Japan was looking south to the Solomon Islands in order to protect its bases at Rabaul and Truk as well as to choke off the flow of Allied supplies to Australia. Without these sea lines of communications, Australia and New Zealand would be cut off from Allied support, exposing them to Japanese conquest. In the spring and summer of 1943, a strategy for the defeat of Japan began to take shape within Allied councils. In June 1943 MacArthur and Halsey resumed their offensive.

In the Solomons, by early August 1943, Army forces under Halsey had secured New Georgia with its important Munda airfield; but the campaign was not completed until October, when U.S. and New Zealand troops occupied Vella Lavella, between New Georgia and Bougainville. Bougainville was to provide the Allied forces with important airfields from which Rabaul and the remaining Japanese installations in the Solomons could be neutralized. At the end of October New Zealanders and U.S. marines landed on Treasury and Choiseul Islands to secure bases for the assault on Bougainville. In mid-February 1944 New Zealand troops of the South Pacific Area secured an airbase site on Green Island, north of Rabaul. On the last day of the month, MacArthur began landing the 1st Cavalry Division (an infantry unit retaining its former designation) on the Admiralties, closing the western and northwestern approaches to Rabaul.