The Women's Auxiliary Air Force was the female auxiliary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War.

Jan 16, 2012 · The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was formed to enable the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) to release more men for service overseas during the Second World War. Within 18 months, the authorities also created a Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps and a Women’s Royal Naval Service.

The New Zealand Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was established on 16 January 1941. Its members – referred to as WAAFs – played a vital role in supporting the wartime expansion of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) by freeing men up for overseas service.

During World War II, the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was approved by the NZ War Cabinet on 16 January 1941 to free up men to undertake military duties overseas. The women were to be initially employed in clerical tasks and the mess rooms preparing and serving food.

WAAFs were "posted to every major station in New Zealand", a number of women served overseas in Fiji and Norfolk Island [IV p.17]. A wide variety of women joined the WAAF - while younger women were the norm, older or married women also enlisted.

The WAAF provided women from around New Zealand with unprecedented opportunities, gave them the chance to spread their wings and reach for stars otherwise largely inaccessible to them.

Jun 19, 2018 · The booklet includes sections on the Women’s War Service Auxiliary (WWSA), Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), Women’s Royal New Zealand Naval Service (WRNZNS), and Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF).

Nov 25, 2020 · The participation of women in the armed forces is a critically over-looked aspect of New Zealand’s military history. My dissertation aims to shed light on women’s experiences within the WAAF. It also begins to highlight the service experiences of Māori women.

On 16 January 1941 the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was formed in New Zealand. This wartime step was to enable the Royal New Zealand Air Force to release more men for service overseas, and paved the way for further women's involvement in the Second World War.

Established in 1941 to free up men for other duties, more than 4,700 women served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force during WWII. The film is also a recruitment vehicle. It shows WAAF members in traditional (for the time) roles such as sewing and typing.