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1942, the Pacific War, and the defence of New Zealand : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Defence and Strategic Studies at Massey University, New Zealand
During 1941-1942 New Zealand expended vast amounts of capital and labour building
in-depth defences against the perceived invasion threat from Japan that today is often
regarded, especially by academic historians, as non-existent. This thesis looks closely at
the background of such a Japanese threat and the subsequent realities. It examines the
failures of the existing, indeed traditional political alliance with the British ‘family of
nations’ and its associated myths against the Realpolitik of New Zealand’s enforced
absorption into the new American power block. The origins of today’s opinions are
teased out to examine their realities and the drivers of the New Zealand government’s
actions at the time are reviewed. These actions along with the experience, perceptions
and, above all, the circumstantial knowledge that formed the opinions drove the
decisions to act are established. The conclusion of this thesis is the threat to New
Zealand of being raided, isolated, even possibly invaded, was geopolitically and
militarily real at the time. The margins by which any of these possibilities were avoided
were narrow.