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The Armed Constabulary of New Zealand was formed by Act of Parliament in 1867, with constables used as both soldiers and sworn police. Following the cessation of hostilities with Titokowaru and Te Kooti it became an armed police force, with a reduction in numbers from around 2,000 to 776 by mid 1870.
Constables also became involved in road and bridge building and swamp draining, while still doing police work. There were also Provincial police forces to 1877. A number of constables came from Australia.
Some members of the Armed Constabulary had previously served in their local Militia. The 1858 Militia Act and its sucessors provided for the conscription of all Pakeha males between 16 and 55 years of age, and those called up garrisoned outposts and mounted patrols. The more enthusiastic instead formed volunteer corps, and fought alongside regular troops and military settlers. The 1865 Volunteer Act and it sucessors formalised the organisation of the various corps.
Armed Constabulary database
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This database contains further information about constables in the Armed Constabulary. It covers the period from 1867 to 1871, and lists 3,281 names, including members of the Native Constabulary. Information about constables includes:
- tribe, iwi, place, region and approximate year of birth
- division or divisions of service within the constabulary
- service dates and place of enlistment
- ship of arrival
- previous military or naval service and former occupation
- actions served in
- death date and cemetery of burial
- notes and Archives New Zealand file references.
Not all information is available for every constable. A search under Maori in the note field will bring up the names of all Maori who served in the Constabulary.
Many thanks to the compiler John Binsley, for making the information contained in the database available.
Further reading
Richard Hill's “The history of policing in New Zealand, Volume 2: the colonial frontier tamed, New Zealand policing in transition, 1867 – 1886”, especially pages 1 to 89.
Hill also provides a good summary on the Armed Constabulary in the “Oxford Companion to New Zealand military history”, on pages 32 to 36, and there is also one for the Militia on pages 331 to 332.
David Verran | 
