Formed in September 1940, and drawing personnel from the Canterbury and Otago districts, the 30th Battalion was initially assigned to the
8th Brigade, before eventually becoming part of the
14th Brigade, which served in the Pacific. Shortly after its establishment, the battalion undertook garrison duties on
Fiji to defend against a possible Japanese attack, before handing over to US troops. Service on
New Caledonia followed before the 3rd Division concentrated on
Guadalcanal in August 1943. As the
Solomon Islands campaign progressed, the 3rd Division was given a combat role, and the 30th Battalion took part in its first combat operation of the war, landing on
Vella Lavella in September 1943. In February 1944, the 30th fought another battle against the Japanese, this time on
Nissan Island. In mid-1944, amidst a manpower shortage in New Zealand, the battalion returned to New Zealand and was broken up to return personnel to civilian industry and to provide reinforcements for the
New Zealand 2nd Division, fighting in Italy. Over 2,000 personnel served in the battalion throughout the war. Of these, three were killed in action, two died of wounds, 10 were wounded in action and three died of illness or in accidents. Members of the battalion received the following decorations: one
Distinguished Service Order, one
Distinguished Conduct Medal, two
Military Medals, and three
Mentioned in Despatches. One US
Legion of Honor was also awarded. For their service, the 30th Battalion received four
battle honours: "Solomons", "Vella Lavella", "Green Islands", and "South Pacific 1942–44". In 1957, these honours were passed to the battalion's successor units: the
Canterbury Regiment, the
Otago and Southland Regiment, and the
Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Regiment. ==Commanding officers==