NZ Army Transporter

[Dave Homewood]

I spotted this VW Transporter van in Taupo on Saturday, which seems to belong to the NZ Army. I was a little surprised by the colour. All the other Army vans I have ever seen have been either white or green. Are they not worrying about the colour of the fleets now? Is the army's driving contracted out to civvies like the RNZAF is? Would that explain the colour, it's just another fleet car and not owned by the NZDF perhaps?

[stu]

Followed a ute from Cook street to K road yesterday with the same sticker on it. Apart from being green and with a green canvas-like cover over the back, I would have said it belonged to a farmer and not the military.

[ams888]

Isn't this one of the new armoured personnel carriers the army purchased? Its that colour to blend in with the locals. ;D You could just ring the number on the back, and ask them...
On a side note: It is very clean for a vehicle that is obviously used off road, judging from the meaty 4x4 tyres on it.

[phil]

I know this forum attracts a lot of plane spotters, but van spotter? :-)

The NMV (Non Military Vehicle) fleet is currently all sorts of colours.

The Utes tended to be dark metalic green with a flat coat applied, or white, but silver is pretty common at the moment. We have a red ford courier at Ohakea that the armourers use. The vans are now appearing in all sorts of colours, the Army have had red ones since the days of the hi-ace, but now we are seeing silver quite frequently. This is the first blue one I've seen but it's hardly surprising.

The army actually manage the NMV fleet for the whole NZDF.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Phil. I'm not usually a van spotter. I thought it interesing that the personnel transporter was a VW Transporter, very fitting. I guess the Army must have had a team in Taupo running round the lake in the realy race, there were hundreds of people doing it in the baking heat.

[30sqnatc]

The last government introduced sustainability initiatives which included purchase of safer vehicles so they must be brighter colours, diesel powered and higher crash safety rating hence no more Toyota Hiace vans. The VW Transporter is one of the very few 4x4 vans available in NZ. They were purchased for a specific purpose. Guess what the new RNZAF ambulances will be?

[Dave Homewood]

Was there a genuine problem with green vans being unsafe and in accidents? Or another case of the nanny state government trying to over-cotton wool people and also demilitarise the miliotary?

I remember hearing that insurance is cheaper for red or yellow cars than it is for green. maybe that's more the reason?

[Dave Homewood]

The green vans I remember were all Army in my time, and they had white too, but all the vans in the RNZAF fleet that I ever saw were white Hiace and Townace vans. There were white and there were green Hilux utes though in my day. No doubt the venerable Hilux's are probably still going strong?

One of those old Range Rover RNZAF ambulances was on TradeMe a year or so back.

I recall in about 1993 there was a move to remove the RNZAF crest from our vans because people in the street were attacking them when they were parked up. Not just Christchurch, I believe there had been incidents in Auckland and maybe Palmerston too. I always felt it was a bit odd. I think it's great these days to see the vans all done up with the photos of Hercules, Iroquois and Airtrainers, etc. They llok awesome.

[caromeg]

I can tell you what they are probably for - Tactics School. They have been a big user of vans for some time.
I dreaded them on my grade 3 as they transport you to the field of TEWT doom. (Tactical Exercise Without Troops) or as I termed it a P.E.N.I.S. - Pointless Exercise Not Involving Soldiers.