 Nyorai kuenderera mberi kweiyi ndima - Kubva muna Mbudzi 1941, 2NZEF yakabatanidzwa zvakanyanya muNorth Africa Campaign. Sechikamu cheOperation Crusader, mauto eNew Zealand akatora rutivi mukununurwa kweTobrukpashure pokunge guta rakombwa neAfrica Korps yeGermany, pasi paErwin Rommel. Zvadaro, hurumende yeNew Zealand yakasimbirira kuti divi iri ridzoserwe kuSyria kunotora 879 varume vakaurayiwa uye 1,700 vakakuvadzwa muOperation Crusader, hondo inodhura zvikuru iyo divi yakarwisana muHondo Yenyika Yechipiri. Muna June 1942, Afrika Korps yakatora Tobruk, uye 2NZEF yakadzoserwa kubva kuSyria. Kurwisa kweCorps kwakamiswa neAllies muHondo Yekutanga yeEl Alamein, uko mauto eNew Zealand akatora Ruweisat Ridge mukurwisa kwehusiku kwakabudirira. Kurasikirwa kukuru kwakaitwa nemapoka maviri eNew Zealand akabatanidzwa sezvo vakarwiswa nematanki eGermany, nezviuru zvevarume vakatapwa. Charles Upham akawana bhawa nokuda kweVictoria Cross yake muhondo iyi. Kurwisana kwakatevera, kusanganisira Hondo Yechipiri yeEl Alamein, kwakaguma nokubuda kweGermany kubva munharaunda yacho, kupinda muTunisia. Musi wa13 May 1943, hondo yokuNorth Africa yakaguma, pakapiwa mauto eAxis 275,000 akanga asara muTunisia. Musi wa15, divi racho rakatanga kudzokera kuEgypt, uye musi wa1 June divi racho rakanga rava kuMaadi neHelwan, rakagadzirira kushandiswa muEurope. Kurasikirwa kwose kweNew Zealand kubvira muna November 1941, kwakanga kuri 2 989 vakaurawa, 7 000 vakakuvadzwa uye 4 041 vakatapwa. 