New Zealand Army Band Live in Concert

The Piano presents 'Play it Forward'. Ōtautahi artists perform in support of the Next Generation Fund.
We’re creating a fund to cover the cost of 1,000 young people to attend concerts at The Piano throughout the year.
Please, come join us for a Play it Forward concert and help us to engage our rangatahi in the musical arts! To learn more, email support@thepiano.nz or visit thepiano.nz/next-generation-fund

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The New Zealand Army Band is New Zealand’s only professional brass band. It has garnered a reputation as a highly versatile and innovative musical ensemble and earnt international recognition as one of the finest marching bands in the world.

Formed in 1964 as a traditional brass band to perform at state and ceremonial occasions the New Zealand Army Band has evolved into one of the world’s most diverse entertainment organisations, performing in a wide variety of genres and settings. The incorporation of a rhythm section and vocalists in the 1970’s enabled the band to broaden its repertoire to include swing, jazz, pop and rock, and evolve a series of smaller ensembles providing specific musical support to a wide variety of activities, events and audiences. This has seen the band develop as the primary link between New Zealand’s army and the civilian population, as well as becoming a major recruiting tool for the New Zealand Defence Force.

Over the past five decades the New Zealand Army Band has also toured internationally; performing entertaining displays of music and movement which incorporate unique choreography, humour and intricate drill manoeuvres not normally associated with marching musicians. The unit’s travels have included performances in England, Scotland, Australia, the United States of America, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Tonga, Israel, and Vanuatu.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been a particularly popular destination with the band attending in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022, as well as participation in the antipodean performances when the tattoo was staged in New Zealand in 2000, Australia in 2005 and 2010 and both New Zealand and Australia in 2016. During their attendances at the 2013, 2019 and 2022 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoos the band received the Pooley Broadsword; awarded to the individual or contingent judged by the cast to have made the greatest contribution to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It was also the New Zealand Army Band’s great honour to participate in Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012 and the 90th Birthday Celebration in 2016 at Windsor Castle. This travelogue has garnered the New Zealand Army Band global media acclaim for their performances, and allowed the band to represent the New Zealand Defence Force while promoting New Zealand to audiences throughout the world.

Always ready to accept new challenges the New Zealand Army Band has performed at arts festival, sport fixtures, educational institutes, orchestral and jazz band concerts, carnivals, pageants and tattoos around the globe.

When not touring domestically or internationally the band is based at Burnham Military Camp in the South Island maintaining their international reputation with a rigorous regime of music and drill rehearsal.

“The New Zealand Army Band - an elite military unit serving New Zealand with professional, versatile and innovative musical performance”