A new HQNZDF facility was opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark in March 2007 . The new facility on Aitken St in the Wellington CBD replaced the premises on Stout St that had been the headquarters of NZDF for nearly 75 years . The Aitken St facility initially was home to around 900 employees of the NZDF , the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service ( NZSIS ) and the New Zealand Ministry of Defence ; the NZSIS moved across to Pipitea House in early 2013 , and the NZDF were forced to vacate the Aitken St building after the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake , which seriously damaged the building . As of October 2017 it is undergoing demolition , with this scheduled to be completed in early 2018 ; HQNZDF functions having been moved into other buildings and facilities across the region . HQNZDF operates as the administrative and support headquarters for the New Zealand Defence Force , with operational forces under the separate administrative command and control of HQJFNZ
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
New Zealand Defence Force