Documents released by the Government in April and May 2025 say the New Zealand Defence Force's training facilities — including classrooms and rifle ranges — date back to the World War II era, are increasingly ineffective, and could be unsafe for training RNZ.

A 12-page government paper said 60 percent of the army's land training system has reached the end of its life. Another government paper said it plainly: the army cannot train new recruits well enough to meet demand NZ Herald. The same documents said run-down buildings make it hard to train and keep staff.

At the end of 2025, the Defence Force's land combat readiness — meaning how ready its land forces are to actually fight — sat at 45 percent. The Ministry of Defence's 2025 Defence Capability Plan says a large share of defence buildings were built more than 80 years ago, during World War II Ministry of Defence. A separate NZDF plan says living facilities no longer meet the needs of personnel NZDF. An Associate Minister of Defence paper (CBC-24-MIN-0068) said most NZDF buildings have little to no useful life left, and many staff are living and working in old buildings NZDF.

Judith Collins was Defence Minister when the papers were filed. Chris Penk holds the role now.

Budget 2026 set aside $23 million to design an upgrade to recruit training facilities, with work stretching out to 2029-30. The Government picked a "minimum viable capability" option — just enough to get training working properly — rather than a bigger "future growth" option. The upgrade would focus on Waiouru camp. Australia is spending nearly a billion dollars on its own recruit training, and New Zealand will use Australian designs where it can.

The wider defence funding picture is large. The Defence Force got $9 billion in new spending over four years from 2025. Budget 2026 added $880 million for running costs and $700 million for new equipment, both for maritime security Beehive. It also funded extending the life of the navy's frigates and the ship HMNZS Canterbury Beehive. In July, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea signed an agreement on defence cooperation for 2026-2029 Beehive.

The Cabinet papers also say the Defence Force's own management of its buildings is part of the problem. NZDF does not manage its assets to Treasury's standards, and is slow to sign contracts for projects. A Cabinet minute (CAB-26-MIN-0151), listed on the NZDF's Official Information Act page, covers the Modernised Army Training Capability Programme – Recruit Training Capability NZDF.

The RNZ reporting, by Phil Pennington, was published on 30 July 2026.

The bigger picture is that defence buildings have been under-funded for decades, while spending on operations has grown fast. The $9 billion and the Budget 2026 maritime package go mostly toward ships and operations. But the Cabinet papers show the places where soldiers are trained are still running on 1940s infrastructure. Picking the minimum option over future growth means the Government wants to get the basics working first, rather than expanding. Whether those basics are enough — with land combat readiness at 45 percent and 60 percent of the training system at end-of-life — is what ministers will have to weigh up as the detailed planning heads toward 2029-30.