Otago and Southland Regiment


The Otago and Southland Regiment was a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. It saw service from 1959-1963 during the Malayan Emergency. In 1964 the unit was renamed the 4th Otago and Southland Battalion Group. The Regiments motto was Kia Mate Toa and Regimental Belt had the Mackenzie Tartan pattern of the Queen's Own Highlanders. The regimental badge uniquely contained a full Māori chief.

Origin and integration

It was originally formed by the amalgamation of the Otago Regiment and Southland Regiment. In turn, those two regiments were the heirs of the original 4th Regiment, 10th Regiment, 8th Regiment and 14th Regiment formed in the early 1900s.
The regiment become a TF battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment in 1964 during the reorganisation of the army. This was until the later reorganisation of 1999, which saw the TF battalions split from the RNZIR to become multi-function battalion groups. The Otago and Southland Regiment became the 4th Otago and Southland Battalion Group, with the following unit types:
In December 2012 4th Otago and Southland Battalion Group merged with 2nd Canterbury Battalion Group to form 2/4 Battalion.